HC grants bail to woman in Bhima river murder case

The Bombay High Court granted bail to a woman accused in a family murder case, citing insufficient evidence directly linking her to the crime.

MUMBAI: The Bombay high court on Thursday granted bail to a woman accused in the alleged murder of seven members of a family whose bodies were found floating in the Bhima river in January 2023. The court noted there was insufficient evidence directly linking her to the killings, and imposed a condition that she must not enter Beed district, where the victims’ relatives reside.

HC grants bail to woman in Bhima river murder case

The bodies — identified as those of the family members of one Mohan Pawar — were recovered between January 18 and 24, 2023, along the eastern bank of the river in Pune district’s Pargaon police station limits. Police alleged the killings stemmed from a feud between the victims’ family and the family of Dhananjay Ashok Pawar, who had died in September 2022.

Investigators arrested several suspects, including Dhananjay’s sister, Kantabai Sarjerao Jadhav. The prosecution claimed she was present when the murders took place.

According to police, Mohan Pawar was last seen on January 17, 2023, travelling with the main accused, Ashok Pawar, and his brothers to discuss resolving the long-standing family dispute through a community panchayat. His phone was later switched off. A witness, Suraj Jagtap, told police the accused had earlier threatened to kill Mohan’s family. Investigators also claimed a DNA sample taken from a van allegedly used in the crime matched Jadhav’s profile.

Defence counsel argued there was no direct evidence against Jadhav, and that her alleged role was based only on a telephonic reference in a witness statement, unsupported by call detail records. The prosecution countered that the DNA match, coupled with witness statements and the recovery of the van, pointed to her presence at the scene.

Justice Gauri Godse, however, noted that except for the statements of Rahul Pawar — Mohan’s son — and Jagtap, no other witnesses had named Jadhav, and there was neither any recovery from her nor a complete chain of circumstances establishing her involvement.

Observing that she had been in custody since January 25, 2023, the court granted her bail on a personal bond of ₹50,000, directing her not to enter Beed district until the trial concludes.