Court rejects SIT’s plea for lie-detector tests on two main accused in Pradeep Purnekar murder case

The SIT’s plea was rejected as both Pappya Shinde and Santosh Kanojia alias Talli refused consent for the tests, Shinde’s counsel Sangram Shinde told Hindustan Times

THANE: A Thane court has rejected a plea filed by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the murder of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Pradeep aka Balu Purnekar to conduct narco-analysis, polygraph and brain-mapping tests on the two main accused in the case, Pappya Shinde and Santosh Kanojia alias Talli.

The Agri-Koli community is running a campaign titled coinciding with Diwali, titled ‘Ek diya nyay ke liye, ek diya Baludada ke liye (One lamp for justice, one lamp for Baludada)’, seeking justice for slain Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Pradeep aka Balu Purnekar. (PTI)

The SIT’s plea was rejected on Friday as both Shinde and Kanojia refused consent for the tests, Shinde’s counsel Sangram Shinde told Hindustan Times.

Amarsinh Jadhav, deputy commissioner of police (crime) and head of the SIT, Thane Police, did not respond to calls from HT seeking comments on the development.

According to the police, the tests would have given the investigation a clear direction. With the court denying permission, the SIT must now rely on witness statements and interrogation to move the probe forward and find answers regarding who ordered the killing and hatched the conspiracy to murder Purnekar.

Purnekar, a Shiv Sena (UBT) vibhag pramukh, was attacked around 9.30pm on September 29 while he was in his office at Manorama Nagar in Manpada. The assailants opened fire at him and also attacked him with a sharp chopper. He was seriously injured and later succumbed to his injuries.

Meanwhile, the Agri-Koli community is running a campaign titled coinciding with Diwali, titled ‘Ek diya nyay ke liye, ek diya Baludada ke liye (One lamp for justice, one lamp for Baludada)’, seeking justice for Purnekar.