Dabholkar murder trial can be completed in two months: CBI to HC

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday informed the Bombay high court that the trial in the murder case of anti-superstition activist Narendra Dabholkar can be completed in two months as only eight of the 32 witnesses remained to be examined

Mumbai: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday informed the Bombay high court that the trial in the murder case of anti-superstition activist Narendra Dabholkar can be completed in two months as only eight of the 32 witnesses remained to be examined.

This undated photograph shows Indian activist Narendra Dabholkar who was gunned down by two motorcycle-riding attackers on Tuesday, Aug. 20 as he was taking a morning walk in Pune, India. The 67-year-old doctor-turned-activist had been receiving death threats for years since he began traveling by public buses to hundreds of villages around Maharashtra state to lecture against superstitions, religious extremism, black magic and animal or human sacrifice, according to his friend and fellow activist, Deepak Girme. (AP Photo) (AP)

The agency made the submission while opposing the bail application filed by Virendrasinh Tawade, the prime accused in the case.

Tawde had approached the HC after the Pune sessions court rejected his bail plea. He sought bail primarily contending that he has already been in jail for seven years and the CBI keeps adding witnesses and therefore the trial would be prolonged.

A division bench of justice AS Gadkari and justice PD Naik was informed by advocate Virendra Ichalkaranjikar for Tawade that the trial in the case was getting delayed and hence his client should be released on bail on the ground of his long incarceration.

However, advocate Sandesh Patil for the CBI informed the bench that the trial was in progress and only eight witnesses remained to be examined and the trial would conclude within two/three months and hence Tawade’s bail application should be rejected.

On a query by the bench on whether any witnesses had turned hostile, Patil replied in the negative and assured the bench that as per the special public prosecutor, if the examination of witnesses was expedited the trial would end in two/three months.

Ichalkaranjikar, however, refused to accept the assurance and submitted that as per the charge sheet filed against the accused, the firearm allegedly used to murder the rationalists was recovered from the possession of two other accused. He added that Tawde who was arrested in 2016 was already in jail for the past seven years and as there was no evidence against him, he should be released.

The court then asked Ichalkaranjikar to furnish the statements of the witnesses recorded before the trial court and posted hearing of the application on February 21.

Rationalist Narendra Dabholkar was shot dead near his home in Pune by two unidentified assailants on a bike when he was returning from his morning walk on August 20, 2013.

The Pune police launched an investigation and picked up a Sanatan Sanstha worker from Goa as a suspect. However, the organisation distanced itself from the murder.

Acting on a public interest litigation, the HC transferred the probe to the CBI and an investigation was launched in May 2014. Dr Virendrasinh Tawade, the alleged mastermind behind the murders of Dabholkar and CPI leader Govind Pansare, was arrested in June 2016.

In August 2018, the central agency arrested Sachin Andure, one of the alleged assailants and in September 2018 arrested the second suspected assailant, Sharad Kalaskar. In May 2019, the CBI arrested advocate Sanjeev Punalekar and his associate Vikram Bhave for advising the assailants to destroy the weapons used in the murder of the activists. The trial commenced before a special court in Pune in March 2022.