India
oi-Prakash KL
The Bombay High Court on Tuesday granted bail to Sachin Andure, a prime convict in the murder case of rationalist Dr. Narendra Dabholkar, and suspended his life sentence handed down by a sessions court in 2024.
A division bench comprising Justices Sarang Kotwal and Ranjitsinha Bhonsale issued the order on Andure’s interim application challenging his 2024 conviction. A detailed copy of the order is not available at the time of publishing this report.
The Bombay High Court granted bail to Sachin Andure, who was convicted in the 2013 murder case of rationalist Dr. Narendra Dabholkar in Pune. Andure and Sharad Kalsakar were sentenced to life imprisonment by the Pune Sessions Court in 2024.
In seeking relief, Andure’s lawyer had highlighted several gaps in the prosecution’s case. He pointed out that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) failed to conduct a formal Test Identification Parade (TIP), relying instead on direct in-court identification, according to a report in Live Law.
The defense noted that there were major contradictions in eyewitness statements as some witnesses claimed to have seen Andure shooting Dabholkar, others maintained he was not at the spot.
However, Dabholkar’s family strongly opposed the bail plea, stating that it sends a wrong message to society. Dabholkar’s assassination was part of a wider conspiracy by right-wing extremists targeting rationalists and journalists, including Govind Pansare, M.M. Kalburgi, and Gauri Lankesh, the family said, according to PTI.
On August 20, 2013, Dabholkar, founder of the anti-superstition group Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti, was shot dead by two motorcycle-borne assailants during a morning walk in Pune. The CBI took over the probe from Maharashtra Police in 2014 following a High Court petition filed by his daughter, Mukta Dabholkar.
A Pune sessions court sentenced Andure and co-accused Sharad Kalaskar to life imprisonment on May 10, 2024. However, the court acquitted them of charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Arms Act, while completely acquitting three co-accused – Virendra Singh Tawde, Sanjiv Punalekar, and Vikram Bhave for lack of evidence.
Mukta Dabholkar has filed an appeal with the High Court challenging those acquittals and the exclusion of UAPA charges.
