Warrant against officer who probed Jalgaon murder

A former investigating officer, probing the murder of president of the Jalgaon District Congress Committee (DCC), has been issued a non-bailable warrant. Vishram Patil was found murdered on September 21, 2005.

A former investigating officer, probing the murder of president of the Jalgaon District Congress Committee (DCC), has been issued a non-bailable warrant. Vishram Patil was found murdered on September 21, 2005.

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The motive was allegedly an intra-party rivalry between him and GN Patil, President Pratibha Patil’s brother, and Ulhas Patil, another member of the party after GN Patil narrowly lost the DCC poll to the former.

Sessions judge of Jalgaon, MR Puranik, issued the non-bailable warrant against Nana Gughe, who was posted at the local crime branch and was the investigating officer of the case, because he failed to appear in the court despite repeated summons.

SK Kaul, advocate for the accused Raju Sonawane, said the non-bailable warrant has to be executed by April 30, the next date of the trial.

If Gughe is not present in court on that day, he would have to be arrested and produced in court. Forty-five witnesses have been examined, of which, at least seven have turned hostile.

Gughe is the last witness left to be examined. The trial in Vishram’s murder case was handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation by the Bombay high court after a petition by Vishram’s widow, Rajni.