After more than 10 years and eight months since the murder of Dr Narendra Dabholkar, a special UAPA Court in Pune delivered its verdict on Friday in the trial against five individuals linked to Sanatan Sanstha.

The court acquitted ENT surgeon Dr Virendrasinh Tawade, Mumbai-based lawyer Sanjeev Punalekar, and his aide Vikram Bhave due to lack of evidence. The two alleged assailants, Sachin Andure and Sharad Kalaskar, were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Dr Hamid, Dabholkar’s son, expressed to reporters outside the Shivajinagar court complex, “On one level, we are satisfied that the two assailants have been convicted and sentenced to life. But the questions about the masterminds and overarching conspiracy behind the murder remain unanswered.”

Dr Narendra Dabholkar, a rationalist, anti-superstition crusader, and founder of Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti (MANS), was shot dead by two bike-borne assailants on the VR Shinde bridge in Pune on the morning of August 20, 2013, at the age of 67. The murder, which caused shockwaves across the country, was initially investigated by Pune City Police and later taken over by the CBI in June 2014.

The accused tried for the murder include ENT surgeon Dr Tawade, who was charged in September 2016, the two alleged assailants Andure and Kalaskar, who were charged in February 2019, and Mumbai-based lawyer Punalekar and his aide Bhave, who were charged in November 2019.

All the accused are allegedly linked to the radical outfit Sanatan Sanstha. In 2018, the CBI moved to invoke the anti-terror legislation Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) in the case.

During a hearing on April 18, Additional Sessions Judge PP Jadhav, presiding over the Special Court for cases under the UAPA, had scheduled the judgement for Friday. Adv Prakash Suryavanshi served as the Special Public Prosecutor, representing the case, while Defence lawyers Prakash Salsingikar, Virendra Ichalkaranjikar, and Suvarna Avhad Vast represented the accused. Throughout the trial, 20 prosecution witnesses and two defence witnesses testified before the court.

On September 15, 2021, the Special Court framed charges against the five accused, marking the commencement of the trial. All five accused pleaded not guilty to the charges against them. Presently, Tawade, Andure, and Kalaskar are in prison, while Bhave and Punalekar are out on bail.

Image source: WION News