A special court in Pune on Tuesday, 7 September, passed an order to frame charges against the five men accused of murdering veteran rationalist Dr Narendra Dabholkar in August 2013, The Times of India reported.
The accused are linked to the radical outfit Sanatan Sanstha, as per The Indian Express.
“The court has taken up all the charges brought by us. We will communicate the charges to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The framing will be deferred to 15 September. We are not going to challenge this order,” special public prosecutor Prakash Suryavanshi was quoted as saying by the Hindustan Times.
On 20 August 2013, two men shot dead Dr Dabholkar, a rationalist and the founder of Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti, around 7.30 am while he was on his morning walk on a bridge near Omkareshwar Temple in Pune.
The court said it would be framing charges for murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and under provisions of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and Arms Act against four of the accused — Dr Virendrasingh Tawade, Sachin Andure, Sharad Kalaskar, and Vikram Bhave. The court said advocate Sanjeev Punalekar would be charged for the destruction of evidence. Each of the accused will be asked if they plead guilty or not guilty during the framing of charges.
While Punalekar and Bhave are out on bail, Tawade, Andure, and Kalaskar are in judicial custody.
Meanwhile, Tawade, accused of plotting the murder, requested the court to allow him to meet his family and lawyer before the charges are framed, reported Hindustan Times.
“My contact with the outside world has been completely broken due to the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown. I request the court to allow me to meet my family, whom I have not met for a very long time, and my lawyer before charges are framed,” he said.
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