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Client fires gun at advocate; lawyers protest and Pune court proceedings paralysed on Tuesday
Two have been arrested, out of which one is a juvenile
Two people were arrested by the crime branch of Pune police for shooting advocate Devanand Dhokane on Sangamwadi bridge on Monday night. While one of the two arrested is a juvenile, the other has been identified as Kurumdas Kaluram Badhe, 33, a resident of Kalus, Pawlewadi in Khed.
Dhokane was on his way out of the Shivajinagar district court when the incident happened.
“The two were arrested by unit 1 of the crime branch of Pune police from Chakan,” said Shirish Sardeshpande, deputy commissioner of police, crime, Pune. The police recovered the weapon used as well as the motorbike the two were riding on. “He acquired the pistol from Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, two months ago,” said DCP Sardeshpande.
Three to four years ago, Badhe approached advocate Dhokane for legal help in the matter of land dispute with his paternal uncle. Advocate Dhokane represented Badhe in the case from Shirur.
“The lawyer had asked for ₹2,00,000. Since Badhe did not have the money, he handed over
20 guntha land to the lawyer. He later also gave him a cheque for ₹2,00,000 which was encashed by the lawyer,” DCP Sardeshpande added.
However, Dhokane made a deal outside the court before the case went to trial, according to Badhe’s statement to the police. After that, Badhe asked for the land and money back. While Dhokane returned the land, he did not return the money, according to the police.
Four rounds were fired and Dhokane sustained one bullet injury and has undergone scans and neuro surgery at Inlaks and Budhrani Hospital in Koregaon Park, Pune.
Meanwhile, the two were arrested and will be produced in a local court on Wednesday.
In response to the shooting, the lawyers at the district court held a protest and paralysed the court proceedings for a day on Tuesday.
A case in the matter was filed at Yerawada police station under Sections 307 (attempted murder), 34 (common intention) of Indian Penal Code and Sections 3(25) of Arms Act along with 37(1)135 of Maharashtra Police Act on Monday.
