Two individuals were convicted and sentenced, while three others were acquitted in the murder case of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar by a Pune Court today.
Sachin Andure and Sharad Kalaskar were found guilty and received life imprisonment along with a penalty of ₹5 lakh each.
Dr. Virendrasingh Tawade, Vikram Bhave, and Sanjeev Punalekar were acquitted.
The judgment was pronounced by Sessions Judge PP Jadhav after a nearly three-year-long trial, which began in 2021, although the sessions case was instituted in 2016.
Narendra Dabholkar, the founder of Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti (MANS), was fatally shot by two assailants during a morning walk in Pune in 2013.
The accused, associated with the Sanatan Sanstha organization, were apprehended by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) between 2016 and 2019.
The CBI took over the case from Pune City Police in 2014 and filed charges against five individuals.
Four of the accused—Dr. Virendrasingh Tawade, Sachin Andure, Sharad Kalaskar, and Vikram Bhave—were charged with various offenses, including criminal conspiracy and murder under Sections 302 and 120B. Additionally, they faced charges under Section 16 (terrorist act) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and provisions of the Arms Act.
Accused Sanjeev Punalekar, a Mumbai-based lawyer, faced charges under Section 201 of the IPC for causing the disappearance of evidence.
While Tawade, Andure, and Kalaskar are in judicial custody, Bhave and Punalekar are out on bail.
The charges in the case were framed by the Pune sessions court on September 15, 2021, against all five accused.
The court noted that a conspiracy to eliminate Dr. Dabholkar was orchestrated to instill fear among the public and discourage activities like those of the ‘Andhashradha Nirmulan Samiti.’
In 2015, Dabholkar’s daughter and son approached the High Court, seeking the appointment of an independent Special Investigation Team and requesting the court to monitor the investigation.
Since August 2015, the High Court had been overseeing the investigation.
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In December 2022, Tawade filed an interim application to discontinue the monitoring, arguing that with the trial underway, the High Court could cease its oversight.
Subsequently, another accused also sought to discontinue the monitoring.
During a hearing, the High Court expressed its inability to indefinitely monitor the case.
The investigating agency informed the Court that the trial could be concluded within two months if expedited.
Considering these factors, the High Court decided to discontinue further monitoring of the investigation.
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