The main accused in the murder of anti-superstition activist Narendra Dabholkar has moved the Bombay High Court for bail, Live Law report...
The main accused in the murder of anti-superstition activist Narendra Dabholkar has moved the Bombay High Court for bail, Live Law reported on Tuesday. Virendrasinh Tawde, a surgeon and member of extremist Hindutva group Sanatan Sanstha, is currently lodged in the Yerawada prison in Pune.
Dabholkar was shot dead in Pune on August 20, 2013. The Central Bureau of Investigation took over the inquiry into the case from the police in 2014.
A bench comprising Justices SS Shinde and NJ Jamadar on Tuesday directed the Central Bureau of Investigation to respond to Tawde’s petition in two weeks.
In 2016, the CBI had arrested Tawde. The investigation agency had alleged that he was the mastermind of the conspiracy to murder Dabholkar.
In 2018, two other members of Sanatan Sanstha, Sharad Kalaskar and Sachin Andure, were arrested. The next year, the CBI arrested lawyer Sanjeev Punalekar and his associate Vikram Bhave, who were also linked to the group.
In September this year, a special court in Pune framed charges against the five accused persons. This marked the commencement of the trial in the murder case.
Tawade, Kalaskar, Andure and Bhave were charged under Sections 302 (murder) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code as well as sections of the Arms Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act....
