The Supreme Court today directed the Maharashtra government to explain the circumstances under which its police arrested two girls from Palghar in Thane district for posting comments on Facebook on the November 18 shutdown for Bal Thackeray's funeral.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Altamas Kabir and Justice J Chelameswar asked the state government to file its response within four weeks on the public interest litigation filed by a Delhi student.

The bench also made as parties the governments of West Bengal and Puducherry where similar incidents had happened in the recent past. It also issued notice to the Delhi government along with them and sought their response within four weeks and posted the matter for hearing after six weeks.

Attorney General G E Vahanvati, referred to the guidelines which say that cases to be registered under the provision of the IT Act has to be decided by senior police officials