The Supreme Court, in a judgment on Thursday (September 11, 2025), warned against communal colours seeping into the khaki of the police while issuing an unprecedented order that a Special Investigation Team (SIT), comprising equal numbers of Muslim and Hindu officers, be formed by the Maharashtra government to investigate allegations of murder and assault made by a 17-year-old Muslim boy during the Akola communal riots of 2023.
“When members of the police force don their uniforms, they are required to shed their personal predilections and biases, be they religious, racial, casteist or otherwise. They must be true to the call of duty attached to their office and their uniform with absolute and total integrity. Unfortunately, in the case on hand, this did not happen,” Justice Sanjay Kumar observed in the ruling, issued by a Bench which also included Justice Satish Chandra Sharma.
