E-Paper
CBI files supplementary chargesheet against Punalekar, Bhave in Dabholkar case
Chargesheet mentions the role of Punalekar as a conspirator in murder plan, while it mentions Bhave as the person who helped two shooters conduct a recce of area where Dabholkar was killed
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed a supplementary chargesheet against advocate Sanjeev Punalekar and his associate Vikram Bhave in an Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) court on Wednesday in the case of the murder of slain rationalist Narendra Dabholkar.
Dabholkar was shot dead by two bike-borne assailants on August 20, 2013, on the Omkareshwar bridge in the city when he was taking a morning walk.
The supplementary chargesheet mentions the role of advocate Punalekar as a conspirator in the murder plan, while it mentions Bhave as the person who helped the two shooters conduct a recce of the area where Dabholkar was killed.
The chargesheet mentions charges of murder and criminal conspiracy along with relevant sections of UAPA against the two.
Punalekar and Bhave were arrested on May 25, 2019, by CBI from Mumbai. After spending days in police custody, while Punalekar was released on bail on July 5, 2019, Bhave is in judicial custody at Yerawada Central Jail.
Sharad Kalaskar, who was named as one of the two shooters by the CBI, has allegedly recorded a confessional statement during interrogation by the special investigation team (SIT) of Karnataka police probing the Gauri Lankesh murder case.
As per the alleged confessional statement of Kalaskar, he met Punalekar in June 2018 and was advised by the latter to throw the weapons in his possession into the creek in Thane.
The 13-page supplementary chargesheet also has reports of forensic psychological assessment and forensic statement analysis of Punalekar.
“In the assessment, he is heard saying he advised Kalaskar to throw the weapons he was carrying because they could get him in trouble,” said an official close to the investigation. However, it is not clear whether the weapons referred to are the ones used in Dabholkar murder or whether Punalekar was in the know of the information if they really were the murder weapons.
