Sushant case: No legal sanctity to statements of witnesses collected by Maha cops: Centre to SC

New Delhi: The Centre on Thursday told the Supreme Court that statements of 56 witnesses collected by the Maharashtra Police in Sushant Singh Rajput death case have no validity or legal sanctity as it is yet to register an FIR. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, in his written submissions sought apex court's nod for investigation into the case by the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate.

"The Maharashtra Police in its affidavit has said that it has collected statements of 56 persons. In view of the admitted position that there is no FIR registered and the police officer is merely discharging functions under section 174, such statements have no validity or legal sanctity and are non-est," the Centre said. It said the CBI has already registered an FIR while acceding to the request made by the Bihar government and the Enforcement Directorate, a central agency acting under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, is also investigating.

"In conclusion, it is therefore prayed that (i) It is desirable that a predicate offence is also investigated by the CBI which is a central agency; and this Court may not make any observations which might affect the investigation being conducted by the Enforcement Directorate which is not the subject matter of the present proceedings," the Centre said.

The Centre filed its written submissions in the top court on the actress Rhea Chakraborty's plea seeking transfer of the FIR lodged by Bihar government to Mumbai.

The Bihar government told the Supreme Court that Maharashtra Police neither registered an FIR on Rajput's suicide nor did it extend any support to Patna Police for investigating the case on "account of political pressure."

The Bihar government and Rhea Chakraborty, against whom an FIR has been filed in Patna for allegedly abetting Rajput's suicide, have filed their written submissions in the top court on the actress' plea seeking transfer of the FIR to Mumbai.

Maharashtra government told the Supreme Court that registration of the FIR lodged in Patna in actor Rajput's case was politically motivated and due to extraneous reasons. The state government told the top court that Bihar Police cannot register FIR in the case and carry out any investigation on the ground of alleged "inaction or illegal" action of the Mumbai Police.

Rajput, 34, was found hanging from the ceiling of his apartment in suburban Bandra in Mumbai on June 14 and since then Mumbai Police has been probing the case.