The Supreme Court on Wednesday adjourned by two weeks a plea seeking a National Investigation Agency-led inquiry into the lynching of three persons in Maharashtra’s Palghar district in April, Live Law reported. A bench led by Justice Ashok Bhushan also asked the Maharashtra Police to place on record the second supplementary charge sheet filed in the case.

On April 16, three Mumbai residents, who were on their way to Silvassa, were lynched by local residents in Gadakchinchale village of Palghar district on the suspicion that they were thieves. A large mob of villagers had surrounded the car of the three men and started attacking them with sticks and iron rods, leading to their deaths. Two of the victims were sadhus from Mumbai’s Kandivali suburb, and the third was their driver.

In October, the Maharashtra government had opposed the need for a CBI investigation, submitting that it had already taken necessary action against the erring personnel.

Petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court by sadhus of “Shri Panch Dashnam Juna Akhara’’ and relatives of the deceased priests. They have demanded a CBI probe. Another application was filed by advocate Ghanshyam Upadhyay, calling for a National Investigation Agency-monitored inquiry.

On August 6, the Supreme Court had directed the state to file an affidavit about the action taken against the police officers allegedly involved in the incident. The Maharashtra Police had informed the court in September that it has punished 18 of its personnel for dereliction of duties after a departmental inquiry was initiated.

The police filed an affidavit before the court, detailing the punishment given to the personnel, saying that “some delinquent cops” have been punished with salary cuts as well, PTI reported. Consequently, the state police had urged the court that there was no need for Central Bureau of Investigation-led inquiry, and had opposed the plea for the same.

Meanwhile, a special court in Thane last month granted bail to 89 accused in the case.