The Supreme Court on Thursday transferred the probe into the alleged custodial torture and death of a 25-year-old Adivasi man in Madhya Pradesh’s Guna district to the Central Bureau of Investigation, The Indian Express reported.

Ahead of his wedding in July, the man, Deva Pardhi, and his uncle, Gangaram Pardhi, were arrested on charges of theft. Later that night, Deva Pardhi’s family was informed that he had died.

While the police claimed that he died of a heart attack in custody, the family rejected the explanation, alleging that both men were tortured in custody.

On Thursday, a division bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta said that the state police was not carrying out the investigations “in a fair and transparent manner”.

The accused may “subjugate” the prosecution if the investigation is left with the state police, “who are apparently shielding their own fellow policemen”, The Indian Express quoted the bench as having said.

The court also instructed the CBI to immediately direct the registration of a complaint and “ensure fair, transparent and expeditious investigation into the custodial death” of Deva Pardhi.

The bench ordered that if the police officers are found responsible for the custodial death, they must be arrested within a month. It also directed the CBI to conclude its investigation within 90 days of the accused being arrested.

In April, the Supreme Court raised doubts about the cause of Deva Pardhi’s death, and criticised the Madhya Pradesh Police for “shielding” its officers.

Also read: What the ‘custodial death’ of a man from the Pardhi community says about India’s policing practices