The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), in its reply to Bombay High Court in the Narendra Dabholkar murder case, termed Virendra Tawade "a serious threat to the society," requesting that his bail application be rejected, Bar and Bench reported on Friday, 11 February. Tawade is the prime accused in the Dabholkar murder case.
The reply mentioned how Tawade's offences in a public place could pave way to a sense of fear among the masses, where anybody could commit a crime anywhere.
Other points in the reply underlined how the well-planned murder was charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and a result of a long-standing animosity between the accused and the victim.
The reply also said that Tawade had been instructed by Dr Durgesh Samant, national spokesperson of Hindu Janjagruti Samiti in 2007, to focus dedicatedly on Dabholkar's Andhshraddha Nirmulan Bill (Abolition of Superstitious Practices Bill).
Background
Narendra Dabholkar was the founder of Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti (MANS), an organisation that worked towards the erasure of superstitious practices in Maharashtra. He was shot dead during a morning walk near Omkareshwar temple in Pune, on 20 August 2013.
Tawade was rounded up by the CBI three years after the incident in 2016, and was charged under section 302 (murder) and section 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). He was named the chief conspirator in the case thereafter.
The CBI had argued for the application of the UAPA in the special court, which was added later on.
Tawade's three earlier bail applications in the special court were subsequently rejected, following which he filed another application in the Bombay High Court.
(With inputs from Bar and Bench.)
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