MUMBAI, Aug. 12 -- The Bombay high court on Monday directed the Maharashtra government to approach senior advocate Pradeep Gharat to check if he would consider returning as special public prosecutor (SPP) in the 2019 Dr Payal Tadvi suicide abetment case, after his sudden removal earlier this year triggered objections from the victim's family. On March 7, 2025, the state government removed Pradeep Gharat from the case. In his place, the state had appointed advocate Mahesh Manohar Mule as special public prosecutor. Dr Payal Tadvi's husband, Dr Salman Tadvi and her mother Abeda Salim Tadvi opposed the new appointment. A division bench of justices Ravindra Ghuge and Gautam Ankhad was hearing a petition filed by Dr Tadvi's mother, Abeda Tadvi, challenging the state's decision to replace Gharat with advocate Mule. The petition alleged that the change was made without explanation, in violation of procedure, and without consulting the family. "Such a senior advocate who has brought you so many convictions. The petitioner's faith in you has been shaken," the bench remarked, questioning the state on the reasons for Gharat's removal. The judges also asked if any senior officer had personally taken the police into confidence to ensure cooperation in the sensitive case, noting that such matters needed to be handled "judiciously." In July, the court had asked the government to justify the decision. The state later filed an affidavit, but the bench said its contents "did not inspire confidence." Although the judges initially felt Gharat might be unwilling to return, they directed the state to check if he would reconsider. The matter will be heard again on August 12. Dr Payal Tadvi, 26, was a postgraduate medical student. She was enrolled in the obstetrics and gynaecology department at Topiwala National Medical College and BYL Nair Hospital. On May 22, 2019, she died by suicide, after months of caste-based harassment from three senior resident doctors - Dr Hema Ahuja, Dr Bhakti Mehare and Dr Ankita Khandelwal, who were arrested later came out on bail. In November 2024, while serving as SPP, Gharat sought to add Dr Yi Ching Ling Chung Chiang - then HoD- as a co-accused for allegedly ignoring repeated complaints by Dr Tadvi and her family. The move was based on findings of the college's anti-ragging committee. On February 28, 2025, a special court allowed the application....