Bombay HC grants bail to one more convict in Narendra Dabholkar murder case
Bombay High Court Suspends Life Sentence of Sachin Andure in Dabholkar Killing Case
Bharatmorningnews.com – The Bombay High Court has set aside the life imprisonment imposed on Sachin Andure, a convicted participant in the 2013 assassination of anti-superstition campaigner Dr Narendra Dabholkar. The court permitted Andure to walk free on bail while his appeal against the conviction remains pending.
Bench and Procedural Details
A two-judge division bench comprising Justice Sarang Kotwal and Justice Ranjitsinha Bhonsale delivered the ruling on Tuesday, acting on a petition submitted by the right-wing activist. This marks the second instance in which a convict in the high-profile case has obtained interim liberty during the appeal stage.
The precedent was set earlier this year when the same court released Sharad Kalaskar—identified as one of the two shooters who killed Dabholkar in 2013—on April 29. That earlier order rested chiefly on the fact that Kalaskar had already spent more than eight years behind bars.
Court Questions CBI Identification Method
In its reasoning, the bench voiced grave reservations over how the Central Bureau of Investigation secured witness identifications of the accused. Rather than conducting a formal test identification parade, investigators reportedly showed photographs of the suspects to two witnesses, a procedure the court found wanting.
Background: The 2013 Murder
Dr Dabholkar, who founded the Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti and played a leading role in advancing the state government's anti-superstition legislation, was gunned down on August 20, 2013. He had been returning from a morning walk near his Pune residence when the attack occurred.
The crime was initially registered at the Deccan police station in Pune before the probe was handed over to the CBI. Prosecutors contended that two men riding a motorcycle carried out the shooting. Those men were subsequently identified as Kalaskar and Andure, both of whom were reportedly linked to the right-wing outfit Sanatan Sanstha.
A special CBI court sitting in Pune handed down life sentences to both men on May 10, 2024, after finding them guilty of the murder.
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