Pune: The prosecution on Tuesday submitted draft charges against all eight accused in the sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh murder case, even as the district sessions court in Beed rejected the discharge application filed by the prime accused, Walmik Karad.
Special public prosecutor (SPP) Ujjwal Nikam informed the court that the draft charges consolidate the allegations detailed in the chargesheet related to the abduction and killing of Massajog village sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh in December 2023. “We have proposed 12 to 13 charges against each of the accused,” said Nikam. However, the court will take up the draft charges only after deciding on the discharge pleas filed by the remaining seven accused, Nikam said.
Karad’s discharge plea was turned down by judge V.H. Patwadkar, following strong opposition from Nikam, who argued that the attempt was part of a deliberate effort to delay the proceedings. The prosecution also submitted its opposition to Karad’s separate bail plea.
In earlier hearings, all the other accused, except Karad, had filed individual discharge applications. The court has now directed them to submit a consolidated plea, which will be heard on August 4.
“This is a modus operandi to buy time and obstruct the path of justice,” Nikam told the court, adding that the repeated filings amounted to judicial misuse. Acting on the prosecution’s arguments, the court instructed all accused to proceed only through a single, joint discharge application. Meanwhile, a prosecution plea to seize the assets of the accused has been reserved for a later order.
{{/usCountry}}“This is a modus operandi to buy time and obstruct the path of justice,” Nikam told the court, adding that the repeated filings amounted to judicial misuse. Acting on the prosecution’s arguments, the court instructed all accused to proceed only through a single, joint discharge application. Meanwhile, a prosecution plea to seize the assets of the accused has been reserved for a later order.
{{/usCountry}}Deshmukh, 45, was abducted and murdered on December 9, 2023. As the elected sarpanch of Massajog village in Beed district, he had allegedly resisted an extortion racket linked to wind energy operations - a fast-growing sector in the drought-prone Marathwada region.
The case was initially handled by the local police but was later transferred to the Maharashtra Criminal Investigation Department (CID) due to its sensitive nature and emerging political links. Investigators claim to have digital evidence - including phone data, videos, and photographs - directly connecting Karad to the conspiracy.