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Dabholkar murder case: Prosecution submits list of 32 witnesses before UAPA court
The prosecution on Wednesday submitted a list of 32 witnesses to be examined during the trial before the special Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) court in the Dr Narendra Dabholkar murder case
PUNE: The prosecution on Wednesday submitted a list of 32 witnesses to be examined during the trial before the special Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) court in the Dr Narendra Dabholkar murder case.
Special public prosecutor (SPP) Prakash Suryawanshi submitted the list in court and said that more witnesses may be added as required. Additional sessions judge S R Navandar accepted the list of witnesses and posted the matter for hearing on October 29, when the much awaited trial is likely to begin.
The court said that two witnesses related to the inquest panchnama and search of Dabholkar’s house in Pune would be examined on the next day of hearing. The court also directed the prosecution and defense to schedule the dates for examination of witnesses. The judge said that after October 29, more witnesses would be examined during the subsequent hearings on November 13, 20 and 27; and December 4, 11, 18, 19 and 25.
Advocate Suvarna Avhad, who represents the accused, submitted an application before the court seeking details such as the recording of the post-mortem of Dabholkar’s body, and photographs and X-ray reports of the dead body from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
During the earlier hearing, SPP Suryawanshi argued that the accused had committed an act of terrorism and sought an order from the special UAPA court for framing of charges against them under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Arms Act, and UAPA.
The prosecution and defense in the case are expected to begin their arguments on framing of charges against the five accused. Of the five accused, three (Dr Virendrasinh Sharadchandra Tawade, Sachin Prakashrao Andure and Sharad Bhausaheb Kalaskar) have been imprisoned under sections 302 (murder), 120(b) (criminal conspiracy), 34 (common intention) of the IPC along with section 3(25) of the Arms Act. The case also includes sections of the UAPA.
The CBI, which took over the probe from Pune city police in 2014, has till now charge sheeted five accused, all of them allegedly having links to the right-wing Hindutva outfit, Sanatan Sanstha. The five are ear-nose-throat surgeon Dr Tawade; Sachin Andure and Sharad Kalaskar (the two alleged assailants); Mumbai-based lawyer Sanjeev Punalekar; and his aide Vikram Bhave; all of whom were arrested at different times between 2016 and 2019. Of the five, Tawade, Andure and Kalaskar are currently in jail while Punalekar and Bhave are out on bail.
Dabholkar, 67, veteran rationalist and founder of the Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti (MANS), was shot dead by two unidentified assailants while he was on a morning walk along the V R Shinde bridge near Omkareshwar temple in Pune on August 20, 2013.
