In a significant development, the Supreme Court has dismissed a plea calling for a National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe into the 2013 Naxal attack in Jheeram Ghati, Chhattisgarh. The attack resulted in the death of 29 individuals, including Congress leaders.

Chief Justice D. Y. Chandrachud, along with Justices J. B. Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, declined the petition, stating, "We regret, but we do not want to interfere."

The plea had challenged the Chhattisgarh Police's investigation, alleging a conspiracy in the case. Additional Solicitor General A. V. Raju, representing the NIA, argued that the NIA should handle the broader conspiracy aspect as the main FIR was under investigation by a central agency. Raju informed the bench that the NIA had approached the trial court when the Chhattisgarh Police refused to provide records, but the petition was dismissed.

Raju emphasized that, given the NIA's involvement in the main case, a separate FIR related to the same incident should not be investigated by any other agency. However, senior advocates A. N. S. Nadkarni and Sumir Sodhi, representing the Chhattisgarh government, countered by stating that the state initially sought the NIA's involvement in investigating the larger conspiracy but was declined. Subsequently, the state approached the central government to transfer the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which was also refused.

Nadkarni explained that, faced with these refusals, the state government directed the police to register an FIR and investigate the larger conspiracy aspect independently. The bench also heard from Jitendra Mudliyar's counsel, the complainant whose report led to the initial FIR.

The Jheeram Ghati attack occurred on May 25, 2013, when Naxals ambushed a convoy of Congress leaders in Bastar district. The assailants, heavily armed, targeted the leaders who were returning after participating in the 'Parivartan Rally' during the state assembly election campaign. The attack claimed the lives of prominent figures, including Pradesh Congress Committee President Nand Kumar Patel, former leader of the opposition Mahendra Karma, and former Union Minister Vidya Charan Shukla. The incident remains a tragic chapter in the region's history, with legal complexities adding further layers to the aftermath of this devastating event.