E-Paper
Dabholkar murder case: Prosecution argues on laws points during final argument hearing
The prosecution in the trial of Dr Narendra Dabholkar murder case argued that opposition to his crusade against superstition led to the conspiracy to murder him. Various testimonies from witnesses were presented to support this point. The next hearing is scheduled for February 17.
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The prosecution on Tuesday began final arguments in the trial of Dr Narendra Dabholkar murder case, underlining various law points such as motive of the murder, the murder spot, murder scene, FIR and its contents by relying upon various testimonies of witnesses.
The next date of hearing has been scheduled on February 17.
The prosecution in its submission told the court that opposition to Dabholkar’s crusade against superstition led to the conspiracy to murder him. The argument took place before Additional Sessions Judge PP Jadhav, the special public prosecutor Prakash Suryawanshi quoted statements of some key witnesses, including Dabholkar’s son Hamid Dabholkar to emphasise the point.
The prosecution referred to the testimonies of Hamid, Sanjay Sadvilkar and Prashant Potdar. Hamid and the murdered rationalist’s long-time associate Potdar had in their depositions claimed that radical Hindutva organisation Sanatan Sanstha with which some of the accused were linked was against the work carried out by Dabholkar’s “Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmulan Samiti”.
“This opposition formed the motive for the murder conspiracy”, the prosecution stated. It relied on psychological assessments reports of the accused, obtained from the central forensic laboratory. Suryavanshi said that he would complete his arguments on February 17.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over the probe in 2014 after a Bombay High Court order and arrested Sanatan Sanstha affiliated Dr Virendrasinh Tawade, an ENT surgeon in June 2016. The CBI stated that Dr Tawade was one of the masterminds of the crime. The agency arrested shooters Sachin Andure and Sharad Kalaskar, and co-conspirators Sanjeev Punalekar and Vikram Bhave in the case. While Tawade, Andure and Kalaskar are in jail, Punalekar and Bhave are out on bail.
The murder of Dr Dabholkar is believed to be linked to the killings of other rationalists in India. Dr Dabholkar, while on a morning walk, was shot dead by two motorcycle-borne assailants near Omkareshwar Bridge in Shaniwar Peth on August 20, 2013. The rationalist, founder of Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmulan Samiti (MANS), dedicated his life for eradication of social evils, religious superstition and caste system.
