Despite SC order, Maha HM touts PIL over 'media propaganda' against Mumbai Police over SSR

The Maha Vikas Aghadi Government continues to back the Mumbai Police even as the investigation into Bollywood star Sushant Singh Rajput’s death raises serious questions over the police force’s initial handling of the case. Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said on Thursday that he supports a PIL filed by retired cops over alleged media propaganda against the police force over the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput.

“Maharashtra Police and Mumbai police are well-known across the country for their excellent work. Maharashtra Police is as good as the Scotland yard (metropolitan police). Yet, the Mumbai Police has been targeted in Sushant Singh Rajput’s death case. I welcome the decision of retired IPS officers, who have filed a PIL in the Bombay High court on the matter,” Anil Deshmukh told reporters outside NCP office.

Over the last few weeks, the Mumbai police have been facing severe backlash from the citizens for attempting to ‘divert’ and ‘destroy the evidence’ in Sushant’s case, preventing the public and the late actor’s family from finding the truth behind his death. Amid the controversy, some of the city’s best-known cops have joined hands to defend the Mumbai police as the force’s reputation is being tarred in the central investigation and by a ‘media trial’ into Sushant’s death case.

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Petition seeks directions to media houses

Eight retired IPS officers, who have served Mumbai police on various senior positions, have filed a petition in the Bombay High Court seeking directions to stop “unfair, malicious and false media campaign” against Mumbai police in the matter. The PIL was filed by former DGPs PS Pasricha, K Subramaniam, D Shivanandan, Sanjeev Dayal, Satish Chandra Mathur; former commissioners of Mumbai Police Mahesh N Singh, Dhananjay N Jadhav; and former ATS chief KP Raghuvanshi through advocate Sanjay Ashar of Crawford Bayley & Company.

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The petition sought instructions to media houses to refrain from publishing and circulating ‘false, derogatory and scandalous’ comments, social media posts, news stories that may ‘jeopardise the reputation of the Mumbai police and cause the public to lose faith in the law and order system.’ The PIL further said that the ‘media trial’ has resulted into a parallel investigation undertaken by private individuals, rendering opinions, exposing material witnesses and divulging crucial pieces of evidence which hampers the work of investigating agencies. 

The advocates for the petitioners informed that an urgent hearing is likely to be allowed on Friday.

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