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Special Beed court allows accused Vishnu Chate to withdraw discharge application
The next hearing will be held on June 3, where it will pronounce its order on Walmik Karad’s discharge application
A special court in Beed hearing the Massajog Sarpanch murder case on Monday allowed accused Vishnu Chate’s discharge application citing no role in the case to be withdrawn by his lawyer. However, Walmik Karad’s defence lawyer contended that they had not received the pen drive and connected documents from the prosecution, to which the judge ordered that the necessary documents be given to the accused lawyers.
The next hearing will be held on June 3, where it will pronounce its order on Walmik Karad’s discharge application.
However, special public prosecutor Ujjawal Nikam was absent during the hearing but was represented by Advocate Balasaheb Kolhe. Advocate SN Khade, representing Karad, said that electronic evidence collected by the investigating agencies is needed by the accused to fight their case.
The slain sarpanch’s brother Dhananjay was present during the fifth hearing on May 19. His lawyers informed the court that charges must be framed against the accused at the earliest, and swift delivery of justice must be done for the family.
Chate’s lawyer, Advocate Sachin Shef said that the application was withdrawn on technical grounds and will be filed again at a later date. Currently, Chate is lodged in Latur jail, and he has requested to be transferred to Beed district jail. The court has said that it will pass an order on the same during the next hearing.
The special public prosecutor said, “Chate’s lawyer has withdrawn the discharge application before the court and will file it again. The second application related to jail transfer is yet to be decided by the court,’ he said.
Following Deshmukh’s murder on December 9, the state government set up an SIT, launched a CID investigation, and appointed a judicial commission to probe the case. The charge sheet was filed a day after the government appointed senior advocate Ujjwal Nikam as the special public prosecutor (SPP).
