E-Paper
State to take cognisance of court observation in Dabholkar murder case: Fadnavis
Sachin Andure and Sharad Kalaskar, who allegedly shot Dabholkar while he was on a morning walk in Pune on August 20, 2013, were sentenced to life imprisonment
The state government will take cognisance of the observation made by the Pune court in its order in the murder case of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar, said deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Fadnavis, who was in the city on Saturday, said, “The law and judiciary will go through detailed order, and a decision will be taken whether to approach the high court on the verdict to acquit three persons in the case.”
Sachin Andure and Sharad Kalaskar, who allegedly shot Dabholkar while he was on a morning walk in Pune on August 20, 2013, were sentenced to life imprisonment. The three other accused, Virendrasinh Tawade, Sanjiv Punalekar and Vikram Bhave, were acquitted for lack of evidence.
The court, on Friday, came down heavily on the Pune police and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for failing to unearth the masterminds behind the crime.
“The main mastermind behind the crime is someone else. Pune police as well as CBI have failed to unearth those masterminds. They must introspect whether it is their failure or deliberate inaction on their part due to influence by any other person in power,” additional sessions judge PP Jadhav had observed.
The special court also made strong comments about the ‘casual‘and ‘negligent’ approach on the part of the deputy secretary and then officiating chief secretary in the state home department while according to sanction to prosecute Tawde, Punalekar and Bhave under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) Act. The court in its order said it was ‘shocking ‘and required ‘condemnation.’
The court observed that although there was evidence of the motive for murder against Tawade, and that there was reasonable suspicion against Punalekar and Bhave, showing their involvement in the crime, the prosecution failed to establish their involvement by leading reliable evidence.
The family members, meanwhile, said they were disappointed by the judgment and will challenge it in the high court.
