The Supreme Court has recently ordered the formation of a new Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate allegations against state minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Govind Singh Rajput regarding the alleged illegal detention of an OBC (Other Backward Class) leader.
The court’s decision followed a writ petition filed by the OBC Mahasabha, which sought a direction similar to ‘Habeas Corpus’ to compel the respondents to produce Man Singh Patel, who is allegedly being held unlawfully.
On August 6, a bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan instructed the Director General of Police (DGP) of Madhya Pradesh to establish the SIT and complete the investigation within four months. The SIT will include the Inspector General, Senior Superintendent of Police, and Superintendent or Additional Superintendent of Police from the MP cadre, provided they do not have local connections. The SIT may also appoint junior police officers to assist with the investigation.
The court clarified, “Since no notice has been issued to respondent No. 6 (MLA Rajput) or other private respondents, the observations in this order are not intended to prejudice them.”
The court further ordered that missing persons reports should be immediately registered as FIRs, initially against unknown individuals. The SIT is instructed not to take the complainant Sita Ram Patel’s statements as absolute truth due to his inconsistent statements, though the court refrained from further commenting on this matter.
The SIT is also directed to involve office bearers and members of the OBC Mahasabha and other responsible persons in the investigation, with their statements to be video-recorded. The investigation is to be concluded within four months, with further actions to follow based on the findings.
In response to the Supreme Court’s directive, Minister Rajput told ANI, “The Supreme Court’s decision has not made any comment against me, nor has any notice been issued to me. I wish to address those spreading misinformation about me by seeking legal redress, as commenting without understanding the court’s order is incorrect. I welcome the formation of the SIT and hope for the truth to come out.”