In a major setback to the Union government, Mumbai’s Killa Court has ordered the Ministry of Home Affairs to hand over the documents and pen drive given to it by former state chief minister  Devendra Fadnavis. The Maharashtra government has sought these through Mumbai police’s Cyber Cell, in connection with the documents leaked from the State Intelligence Department (SID) during IPS Rashmi Shukla’s tenure. The court has ordered the ministry to hand over the documents and pen drive to Mumbai police’s Cyber Cell for investigation within 10 days.

The Cyber Cell had investigated the case under the Official Secrets Act to find who stole the confidential documents from the SID office during Shukla's tenure and handed them to Fadnavis. The Cyber Cell wrote to the MHA this year in May seeking the documents and pen drive submitted to it by Fadnavis, but the ministry had refused to do so, saying the demands made by the state were very vague, since they know what is there in the documents. The state then moved the court in October and also informed it that Fadnavis was their star witness in this case, but he was not appearing before them despite summons issued to him. However, Fadnavis told mid-day that he has not received any summons, but some questions from the Cyber Cell which he will answer at the right time.