The Bombay High Court has been requested to summon Maharashtra Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis to explain why the state has not created binding rules for investigating custodial deaths. This demand comes in a petition filed by Vijayabai Vyankat Suryawanshi, mother of Somnath Suryawanshi, who died in Parbhani District Prison on December 15, 2024. The petition highlights a "continuing legal vacuum" after official magisterial inquiries under the Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, failed to lead to clear action. The petitioner’s legal team says BNSS requires magisterial inquiries but does not mandate what happens if the death is found "unnatural or homicidal." The application states, "In Somnath's case, both the expert panel at Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and the learned Magistrate have already held that the death was due to ‘shock following multiple injuries’ and was homicidal in nature." Despite this, authorities have delayed registering a case of custodial murder and instead relied on weak enquiries and medical opinions. On September 12, 2025, a Division Bench of the Bombay High Court criticized the State for only asking for CCTV footage instead of seizing it immediately. The court said, "In fact, it could have been immediately seized, or CCTV footage could have been collected by visiting the jail," and ordered the footage to be seized within two days. The judges also stated that interim government circulars cannot replace proper laws. They stayed a CID circular dated July 16, 2025, and asked the Principal Secretary of the Home Department to explain when proper rules would be set. Principal Secretary Anup Kumar Singh filed an affidavit on October 3, 2025, attaching a government circular dated September 30, 2025. The State claimed this circular sets the investigation process for custodial deaths. However, the petitioner argues this still does not meet the court’s demands. The plea seeks that both the July and September circulars be declared non-compliant. It calls for clear, time-bound legal guidelines from the elected government. These should include automatic FIR registration upon a magisterial finding of unnatural death, independent probes, preserving CCTV and forensic evidence, suspending guilty officers, and regular court updates. The petitioner insists that Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis personally explain the State’s plan and timeline in court. Until proper rules exist, investigations should follow the High Court’s and Supreme Court’s established principles. The petition warns, "Unless this vacuum is addressed at the policy and legislative level, every future custodial death will remain trapped in the same grey zone," putting the fundamental right to life in danger. The case, which previously led to forming a Special Investigation Team, is expected to be heard again later this month.