Narendra Dabholkar's kin challenges acquittal of 3 in rationalist's murder case

Narendra Dabholkar, founder of the Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti

The family of the late rationalist Narendra Dabholkar has petitioned the Bombay High Court to contest the acquittal of three people in his murder case. Mukta Dabholkar, the rationalist's daughter, filed the appeal in connection with the Narendra Dabholkar murder case, which also challenged the judgement that cleared two other convicted individuals of charges related to criminal conspiracy and terrorist activities under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), reported PTI.

Mukta Dabholkar, through her lawyer, Abhay Nevagi, said that her father's assassination was a "well-planned murder involving a larger conspiracy", the news agency added.

Per the report, the appeal, which was heard by a division bench of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Prithviraj Chavan on Wednesday, prompted the court to issue notices to all of the defendants and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The subject is scheduled for further hearing on September 23.

The appeal challenges the sessions court's decision to acquit Virendra Singh Tawde, Sanjiv Punalekar, and Vikram Bhave in Narendra Dabholkar murder case, as well as the acquittal of two other convicted individuals, Sachin Andure and Sharad Kalaskar, on charges of criminal conspiracy under the Indian Penal Code, UAPA's Section 16 (terrorist act), and the Arms Act, the report added.

"The accused persons hatched this conspiracy to eliminate Dr Narendra Dabholkar, who was expressing his views against Sanatan Sanstha Establishment, Hindu Jan Jagaran Samiti and other similar organizations," the appeal alleged.

On August 20, 2013, Narendra Dabholkar, the 67-year-old founder of the Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti, which battles superstition, was shot dead by two people apparently associated with the right-wing group Sanatan Sanstha while out for a morning stroll in Pune.

On May 10, 2024, a session court in Pune convicted Andure and Kalaskar of murder and sentenced them to life in prison, while acquitting the other three accused.

According to the PTI report, the appeal contends that the sessions court erred in its decision by failing to acknowledge evidence indicating a bigger conspiracy including all of the defendants. It further disputes the court's decision that the UAPA provisions were inapplicable due to an apparent lack of legitimate sanction, arguing that the sanction was properly granted.

"The Sessions Court has failed to consider that there is sufficient material produced in the record by the investigation agencies which establishes beyond reasonable doubt that all the accused were involved in hatching criminal murdering Dr Narendra Dabholkar," the appeal said.

According to the plea, the investigating agency duly got the sanction to prosecute the accused under UAPA, and there is no evidence in the file to imply that the authorisation was granted illegally.

With PTI inputs