India, July 31 -- The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed a petition filed by the Maharashtra government challenging a Bombay High Court order directing the police to register a First Information Report (FIR) in the custodial death of 35-year-old Dalit law student Somnath Suryawanshi in Parbhani.

While it is still unclear why the Supreme Court dismissed the petition, this would come as a blow to the state government, which had contended that the high court's order seeking an FIR against police officers was premature.

Suryawanshi was among over 50 people arrested in Parbhani in December 2024 following violence in the city over the desecration of a replica of the Constitution. The arrested accused, mostly from marginalised communities, w...