The Supreme Court on Friday delivered a “Split Verdict” on the Maharashtra government's petition in the Akola Riot Case from May 2023.

The government had sought a review of the directive to include police officers from both Hindu and Muslim communities in the Special Investigation Team (SIT) in its petition.

The government had stated in its petition that dividing the police on religious grounds is against the secular policies of the state. A police officer has no religion.

The case was heard by a double bench of Justice Sanjay Kumar and Justice Satish Chandra Sharma. Both judges expressed different opinions on the petition, ultimately resulting in a split verdict.

A 'split verdict' is passed when a bench consisting of an even number of judges cannot decide, either by unanimous decision

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