The police informed the Bombay high court that the vehicle belonged to someone else while the judges pulled up police for lapses in investigation.
In a new twist to the murder of a girl purportedly in the car of state BJP president Nitin Gadkari, the police today informed the Bombay high court that the vehicle belonged to someone else while the judges pulled up police for lapses in investigation.
Prosecutor Nitin Sambhare told the court that the car in which Yogita's body - MH31 CS 2727- was owned by Sudhir Dive, managing director of Purti Sugar Factory a close aide of the BJP leader, and not Gadkari himself.
The high court bench asked Sambhare as to why the owner's (Dive) statement was not recorded immediately to this effect, to which the prosecutor informed that the owner was in Delhi.
"This does not mean his statement cannot be recorded. Under CrPC provisions, the investigating officer should have issued summons to Dive. Why this delay in recording the statement even after the court direction?, the bench said.
Earlier also, the court has pulled up investigating agency for lapses in the case.
Justices AP Lavande and PB Varale, hearing a petition filed by parents of seven-year-old Yogita Thakre, said the police had no business to reveal the nature of investigation to the public (press) and instead should have concentrated on the work assigned to them.
Fixing the date for next hearing on July 1, the bench told the investigators to complete the probe before June 29.
The bench disapproved of the act of the Commissioner of Police of telling the media the progress of investigation against the unnamed suspects against whom offences under IPC have been registered.
The court also took to task the investigators over the central locking system of the car.
The bench noted that the driver Manohar Phanse in his statement had earlier said that system was not working.
"If the system was not working, then how can the door be locked or opened with it?. This is possible only manually, the bench said.
Petitioner's counsel, Anjay Dey, citing apex court rulings on child abuse cases, said there may be more than one person involved in the crime.
Police during the wee hours on May 20 had recorded the car as Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) (MH31 DB 2727) and the same was identified by deceased girl's mother Vimal.
But during subsequent investigation, the number has changed to MH31 CS 2727 and the make of the car changed.
The court also asked some questions about ownership of the disputed vehicles and its use on May 19, the day of crime.
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