JAIPUR: Supreme Court raised concerns Tuesday over a 2020 Rajasthan police closure report in a 2017 case of alleged rape and brutality against a woman and the abduction of her husband.
The court sought all police records, statements and other materials to scrutinise police investigation, which saw a dramatic shift in stance following a change of govt in Rajasthan in 2018.
The Ashok Gehlot-led Congress govt was voted to power in Dec 2018. In the FIR, the woman’s husband alleged the closure report was filed under the influence of former Union minister Mahadev Singh Khandela, a close associate of Gehlot.
The case was registered in 2017 at Reengas police station in Sikar. Investigation reports of Jan 4, 2018, and Aug 9, 2018, identified 21 persons as suspects and suggested filing chargesheets against them. In March 2020, however, a closure report was filed, citing lack of evidence.
The husband challenged the closure report in Rajasthan high court and sought a CBI investigation. In Nov 2022, HC rejected the plea for a CBI probe, emphasising procedural adequacy. The husband then appealed in SC.
Appearing for the state govt, additional advocate-general Shiv Mangal Sharma assured the top court of full transparency, saying all investigation records would be furnished to help SC determine whether the case was fit for a CBI probe.
“The petition claims the accused, including one Satvir Singh Kudi and others, were closely associated with Mahadeo Singh Khandela, a five-term MLA and former MP, who played a pivotal role in stabilising the Gehlot govt in 2018 amid internal political turmoil,” Sharma said.
