“Supreme Court hasn’t made any comment against me”: MP Minister Govind Singh Rajput on new SIT to probe allegations against him

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) [India], August 15 (ANI): The Supreme Court has recently directed to constitute a new SIT (special investigation team) to probe allegations against state minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Govind Singh Rajput in connection with the alleged illegal detention of an OBC (other backward class) leader.

The court’s decision came in response to a writ petition filed by OBC Mahasabha, seeking to issue a direction like ‘Habeas Corpus’ to the respondents to produce Man Singh Patel before the Court from the alleged illegal detention of respondents.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan, while disposing of a petition filed by OBC Mahasabha on August 6, directed the Director General of Police (DGP), Madhya Pradesh, to constitute the SIT and the probe be completed within four months.

The SIT comprises the Inspector General, Senior Superintendent of Police, and Superintendent or Additional Superintendent of Police who are from the MP cadre but do not have their roots in the state. The SIT shall be at liberty to appoint some junior police officers to assist in the investigation.

The court stated, “Since we have not issued any notice to respondent No 6 (MLA Rajput) or other private respondents, we wish to clarify that the observations made in this order are not meant to cause any prejudice to them.”

“Missing persons shall be immediately registered as an FIR, though initially against unknown persons only. The SIT will not take the version of the complainant, Sita Ram Patel (son of missing person), as a gospel truth, knowing well that he keeps changing his statement – for reasons best known to his conscience. We will not comment further in this regard,” the court ordered.

The SIT is directed to join office bearers and members of the OBC Mahasabha and other responsible persons in the area in the investigation. Their statements shall be video-graphed, the court said.

“The SIT shall conclude the investigation within four months. The necessary consequences shall follow thereafter,” it added.

Meanwhile, reacting to the directions of the Supreme Court, Minister Rajput told ANI, “Whatever the Supreme Court’s decision has come, it has not made any comment against me, nor has any notice been issued against me till date.”

“I only wanted to say that whoever is trying to spread misinformation about me, I will knock on the doors of the court against them because making comments without reading the order of the court is wrong. I welcome the decision to form the SIT (Special Investigation Team) and I want the truth to prevail,” he added.