In a significant development, the Bombay High Court on Wednesday granted bail to six individuals accused in the 2015 murder of rationalist Govind Pansare, citing the lengthy period they have spent in incarceration. The decision was issued by Justice A S Kilor, who acknowledged their prolonged detention since their arrests between 2018 and 2019.
Govind Pansare, an 82-year-old rationalist, author, and social activist, was fatally shot in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, on February 16, 2015. He died from his injuries four days later. The attack occurred while Pansare and his wife, Uma, were returning home from a morning walk, when they were ambushed by two assailants on a motorcycle who fired multiple rounds before fleeing the scene.
The case initially fell under the jurisdiction of Rajarampuri police station but was subsequently handed over to a Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by the Additional Director General of Police (CID) of Maharashtra due to the complexities involved. Dissatisfaction with the progress in the investigation led Pansare’s family to request a transfer of the case to the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), which was granted by the High Court on August 3, 2022, after noting a lack of significant advancements in the investigation.
The accused granted bail include Sachin Andure, Ganesh Miskin, Amit Degvekar, Amit Baddi, Bharat Kurane, and Vasudev Suryavanshi. Justice Kilor has deferred the bail hearing for another accused, Virendrasinh Tawade, to a later date. Of the 12 identified suspects in this case, 10 have been arrested, and the trial is currently ongoing with four supplementary chargesheets filed. However, the two individuals believed to be the shooters remain at large.
The Bombay High Court had been actively supervising the investigation but recently declared that it would no longer do so. However, it has ordered that the trial be expedited and conducted on a day-to-day basis to ensure a timely conclusion.
