Pune Realtor's Murder: Maharashtra Assembly Presiding Officer Asks Govt To Form SIT

Mumbai :  Maharashtra assembly's presiding officer Raju Khare on Thursday directed the government to set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to conduct a probe into the murder of Pune realtor Ketan Agrawal.

The police on Tuesday said 26-year-old Agrawal's fiancee Siya Goyal and her lover Chetan Chaudhary allegedly pushed him into a gorge off the Lohagad Fort in Pune on June 18. Goyal (20) and Chaudhary (22) have been arrested.

Agrawal and Goyal were scheduled to get married in November at a palace in Udaipur, Rajasthan.

NCP member Sunil Shelke raised the issue in the state assembly, demanding that Goyal's family be made the accused in the murder case.

He claimed Goyal's family had hidden the information about her relationship with another person from the Agrawal family, and said the murder trial should be conducted in a fast-track court.

Raju Khare, the presiding officer in the chair, directed the government to set up an SIT for a probe into the murder.

Shelke urged the state government to ensure justice for the victim's family.

The MLA said Ketan Agrawal's family was initially informed that he had died in an accident. However, a detailed investigation by the police later showed that it was a case of murder.

He lauded the efforts of the Pune rural superintendent of police and the investigating team, saying they had carried out a thorough probe, collected evidence and recorded witness statements to uncover the truth behind the case.

"What was initially projected as an accident was found to be a murder following a detailed police investigation," the legislator said.

He also referred to alleged links between the accused, Siya Goyal and her lover, claiming that phone call records and other evidence had emerged during the investigation.

Shelke urged the authorities to conduct an in-depth inquiry into all aspects of the case and sought that the matter be taken up by a fast-track court.

"If justice is to be delivered to Ketan Agrawal and his family, the state government must take appropriate cognisance of the matter and ensure necessary action," he said.

The legislator appealed to the government to closely monitor the case and ensure that the guilty are brought to justice.

However, Opposition Shiv Sena (UBT) member Bhaskar Jadhav asked if the presiding officer's directive is binding on the government.

He cited earlier instances where a ruling of the legislative council's deputy chairperson was overruled by the chief minister, and said even a ruling by the assembly's presiding officer was not implemented.

BJP member Sudhir Mungantiwar said the rules of the council and assembly are different.