Rationalist Dabholkar murder case: Pune court fixes charges against five

ANiS (Andhashraddha Nirmulan Samiti), which Dabholkar was heading, has demanded that the case be heard as soon as possible and that the guilty be punished. Milind Deshmukh of ANiS demanded that the key conspirators in the case should be brought to book.

Pune: Eight years after the murder of anti-superstition activist Dr Narendra Dabholkar, the Pune Sessions Court on Wednesday framed charges against five accused. Four of the five accused will face trial under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). They have been charged with murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

Virendra Sinh Tawde, alleged to be the mastermind of the plot; Sachin Andure and Sharad Kalaskar, accused of shooting Dabholkar dead; and Vikram Bhave, involved in the murder plot -- will be prosecuted under UAPA while the fifth accused, Sanatan Sanstha's lawyer Sanjeev Punalekar, has been charged with destroying weapons used in the murder.

On Wednesday, Additional Sessions Judge S R Navandar, the special judge for UAPA cases, asked the five accused if they pleaded guilty, to which all of them replied in the negative.

Tawde, Kalaskar and Andure, who appeared via video-conferencing from their respective jails, sought more time from the court saying they wanted to discuss the matter with their lawyers. The court, however, turned down their plea. The other two accused -- advocate Punalekar and Bhave -- appeared in the court physically.

The court framed charges against Tawde, Andure, Kalaskar, and Bhave under IPC Sections 302 (murder), 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy), 34 (common intention), relevant sections of the Arms Act, and Section 16 of the stringent UAPA (punishment for terrorist act) while charges against Punalekar were framed under IPC Section 201 (causing disappearance of the evidence or giving false information to screen offender from punishment).

Andhashraddha Nirmulan Samiti (ANiS), which Dabholkar was heading, has demanded that the case be heard as soon as possible and that the guilty be punished. Milind Deshmukh of ANiS demanded that the key conspirators in the case should be brought to book.

Special Public Prosecutor Prakash Suryavanshi appeared for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) while advocate Virendra Ichalkaranjikar represented the defence.

The next hearing in the case is set for September 30.