Bombay High Court Orders SIT Probe into Dalit Law Student’s Custodial Death

quick Summary

• The Aurangabad Bench of the Bombay High Court directed Maharashtra’s Director General of Police to establish a Special Inquiry Team (SIT) within one week in the custodial death case of 35-year-old Dalit law student Somnath Suryawanshi.
• The court dissolved an earlier Inquiry Committee and ordered all related documents to be handed over to the SIT.
• Allegations by the deceased’s mother, vijayabai Venkata Suryawanshi, include custodial torture, mishandling during arrest following a peaceful protest in Parbhani on December 11, 2024, and attempts by police to cover up his death as natural causes.
• A post-mortem report revealed 24 visible injuries and attributed his death to “shock following multiple injuries,” supporting allegations of torture.
• Videos reportedly showed Somnath peacefully recording events during the protest while holding a copy of India’s Constitution before being arrested.
• On July 4, 2025, prima facie evidence prompted the High Court to order registration of an FIR for alleged violations of fundamental rights.
• His mother claimed police officers offered ₹50 lakh and employment opportunities as compensation for refraining from pursuing legal action but declined these offers.
• the Supreme Court recently rejected Maharashtra Government’s plea against registering an FIR in this case.

Indian Opinion Analysis

The intervention by the Aurangabad Bench is a critical assertion of judicial oversight in cases involving alleged human rights abuses under state custody. By mandating not only an SIT but also nullifying earlier investigative committees prone to biases or delays, this directive underscores systemic accountability gaps when dealing with marginalized communities.

the reported injuries revealed during medical examinations align disturbingly with claims raised by Mr.Suryawanshi’s family about custodial brutality-a deeply concerning issue requiring institutional reform within law enforcement practices nationwide. With allegations ranging from illegal detention against peaceful protesters to potential offers meant to suppress dissent being brought forward, this case reveals challenges that transcend one-off actions; it highlights structural weaknesses tied directly back into trust-deficit environments between state mechanisms & vulnerable groups/users’ storiescitizen erosion dialog growing global normsusage compuserivelicts..

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