Shiva Joshi, Pune
The trial of five defendants in the slaying of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar before a Pune court is nearing its conclusion.
On August 20, 2013, while out for a morning walk on the Vitthal Ramji Shinde bridge next to Omkareshwar Temple in Pune City, two assassins shot and killed Narendra Dabholkar, who had long fought for laws against superstition and evil practices.
The main suspect in the Dabholkar murder case is ENT physician Virendrasinh Tawde, who is situated in Panvel. The two alleged shooters, Sachin Andure and Sharad Kalaskar, are also accused of killing Leftist politician and rationalist Govind Pansare in Kolhapur in February 2015 according to the CBI.
On August 21, a day following the 10th anniversary of Dabholkar’s passing, the defense attorneys will begin their cross-examination of the prosecution’s 20th and last witness, S R Singh, an investigating officer with the CBI who is currently retired.
“All the 20 witnesses we have examined have supported our case, and no one has turned hostile. Post-cross examination by the defense lawyers, we will have another chance to examine the witnesses, if required, before closing the case,” CBI’s special public prosecutor Prakash Suryavanshi told TOI.
Three chargesheets were also submitted by the CBI during this time.
The Pune court took little over eight years to formulate the allegations against the defendant and to begin the trial.
“We feel the murder investigation is incomplete as we want the CBI to identify the persons responsible for giving directions to Tawde to get Andure and Kalaskar to conduct a recce on Dabholkar,” said lawyer Omkar Nevagi, representing the Dabholkar family.
“The SC has issued a notice to the CBI on the petition filed by Mukta over the issue of a court-monitored probe till the masterminds are arrested,” he added.