Archive · 11 Nov 2025
Supreme Court Halts SIT Order for Akola Riots Probe Based on Religious Identity
Imagine there was a big fight in a city called Akola.
During this fight, one person sadly passed away, and a few others were hurt.
Someone asked the highest court in the country to make a special team of police to investigate why this happened.
The court first said this special team should have both Hindu and Muslim police officers to be fair.
However, the government of that state felt this was not the right way to choose police officers because it mentioned their religion.
So, they asked the court to reconsider.
When the judges looked at this again, two judges couldn't agree on what to do.
Because they disagreed, a bigger group of judges had to step in.
This new group decided to pause the first order about making the team with specific religious members.
They want to think more about how to conduct a fair investigation without focusing on the religion of the officers.
The Supreme Court has stayed its earlier order that directed the formation of an SIT with Hindu and Muslim police officers for the Akola riots probe.
The initial order aimed to ensure fairness in investigating an assault linked to the riots, following a petition by a young witness.
The Akola riots in May 2023 stemmed from a social media post and resulted in one death and eight injuries.
Maharashtra government filed a review petition against the order, arguing it contradicted secular principles.
A split verdict on the review led to a three-judge bench hearing the case and issuing the stay, with further review pending.
- Who
- The Supreme Court of India, the Maharashtra government, and victims/petitioners related to the Akola riots.
- What
- The Supreme Court stayed its earlier order that mandated the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) with Hindu and Muslim police officers to probe the Akola riots and an associated assault.
- When
- The riots occurred on May 13, 2023. The Supreme Court initially ordered the SIT in September 2023, delivered a split verdict on a review petition in November 2023, and issued the stay order on a subsequent Tuesday.
- Where
- The riots took place in Akola, Maharashtra. The legal proceedings are before the Supreme Court of India.
- Why
- The Maharashtra government filed a review petition arguing the order violated secularism by specifying religious identities for SIT members. A split verdict on this review led to a three-judge bench hearing the case and issuing the stay.
Maharashtra Government and Current Three-Judge Bench
Original Two-Judge Bench and Justice Sharma's Stance on Review
Composition of SIT
Maharashtra Government and Current Three-Judge Bench
The Maharashtra government argued that directing religious identities for SIT members violates secularism. The current three-judge bench agreed to stay the order, indicating a shift in perspective from the original directive.
Original Two-Judge Bench and Justice Sharma's Stance on Review
The original two-judge bench ordered the SIT to comprise Hindu and Muslim officers to ensure a fair investigation into the assault and riot-linked case.
Review Petition Outcome
Maharashtra Government and Current Three-Judge Bench
Justice Kumar dismissed the review petition, emphasizing that secularism should be practical. However, due to a split verdict, the matter was referred to a larger bench.
Original Two-Judge Bench and Justice Sharma's Stance on Review
Justice Sharma, during the review, changed his mind, stated that the religious identity aspect needed reconsideration, and issued a notice, leading to the referral to a three-judge bench.
- Incident Location
- Akola, Maharashtra
- Date of Riots
- May 13, 2023
- Date of Original SIT Order
- September 2023
- Date of Split Verdict on Review
- November 7
- Date of Stay Order
- Tuesday (specific date not provided, but following November 7)
- Fatalities
- 1 (Vilas Mahadevrao Gaikwad)
- Injuries
- 8 (including Mohammad Afzal)
