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Advocate moves HC for CBI-NIA probe into Mercedes case; police proceedings stayed
Jharkhand High Court has stayed investigations into hit-and-run cases involving advocate Manoj Tandon and Mawaz Khan, pending further review.
The Jharkhand High Court on Thursday stayed all proceedings and investigations into the alleged hit and run cases registered at Doranda police station involving a senior HC advocate Manoj Tandon and Hindpiri youth Mawaz Khan on Tuesday.
The court also directed state to file an affidavit in the matter and asked SSP Rakesh Ranjan to ensure proper security to the advocate who hinted toward Khan’s connection with banned organisation, People’s Front of India (PFI), on the basis of his Instagram posts.
“Bench of Justice Sanjay Kumar Dwivedi passed the order after Tandon filed a criminal writ petition before the court seeking CBI and NIA probe, punching holes in the police investigation in the case,” an advocate close to the matter said.
“The advocate pointed out that two FIRs were registered in the case and investigation of the FIR filed by Khan was handed over to a police official belonging to a particular community while investigation of the FIR registered on his complaint was handed over to another police official,” the advocate said.
The HC order, a copy of which is available with the Hindustan Times, says, “There shall be stay of further proceeding including the investigation in connection with Doranda P.S. Case No.51 of 2026 and Doranda P.S. Case No.52 of 2026 and no coercive step shall be taken against the petitioner in connection with Doranda P.S. Case No.51 of 2026, pending in the court of learned Judicial Magistrate First Class-XIII, Ranchi, till the next date of listing. The Senior Superintendent of Police, Ranchi shall take the stock of the situation and he will also ensure that no harm can be there to the petitioner,” the order reads.
The court will take up the matter on March 24.
A Mercedes car, driven by the advocate collided with a motorbike ridden by Mawaz Khan. Following a heated argument over compensation, Khan reportedly clung to the car’s bonnet. Witnesses and viral videos show the vehicle speeding for some distance through Rajendra Chowk with Khan still attached to the hood. He alleged that Tandon drove him to his residence, where he allegedly held Khan hostage and physically assaulted him.
According to the advocate, he was on way to his office when a bike touched his car. He claimed a mob immediately gathered, accosted him, and began threatening. To save himself, he stayed locked inside the car and drove away because he believed he would face “death itself” if he stayed.
The advocate denied hit-and-run allegations, claiming the biker suddenly came in front of his vehicle from the wrong side, leading to a “slight knock”. He further asserted that neither the biker nor the bike suffered any actual damage.
The advocate argued that as he began to move the car to escape the mob, the biker deliberately jumped onto the bonnet and refused to get down. He claimed he continued driving only to reach the safety of his flat while the mob chased him.
He alleged the biker and others initially demanded ₹500 for non-existent damages, which quickly escalated to ₹2,000 within a minute, suggesting the confrontation was an attempt at harassment.
