The Bombay High Court on Tuesday granted bail to three men accused in the 2015 killing of rationalist and author Govind Pansare, including prime accused Virendrasinh Tawade. The order marks a significant development in a case that has seen multiple investigative transfers and prolonged incarceration of the accused.
A single bench of Justice S. G. Dige of the High Court’s Kolhapur bench granted bail to Tawade, Sharad Kalaskar, and Amol Kale. While Tawade and Kale are expected to walk out of prison soon, Kalaskar will continue to remain behind bars because he has already been convicted in the separate case of the 2013 murder of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar. His appeal against that conviction is currently pending before the High Court.
Justice Dige stated in open court that the bail applications were being allowed and that a detailed order would be issued later. “The applications (filed by the accused for bail) are allowed. I will pass a detailed order later,” the judge observed.
The court refused to stay its order despite a plea from the lawyer representing Pansare’s family.
Govind Pansare, a prominent rationalist, CPI leader, and author, was attacked on February 16, 2015, while returning home with his wife after their morning walk in Kolhapur’s Samrat Nagar area. Two unidentified men on a motorbike fired multiple rounds at the couple before fleeing. Pansare succumbed to his injuries four days later, on February 20.
Initially, the investigation was handled by the Rajarampuri police station in Kolhapur. It was later transferred to a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under the CID. However, after years without any concrete progress, Pansare’s family sought a transfer to the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS). On August 3, 2022, the High Court handed over the probe to the ATS, noting that there had been “no headway” or “breakthrough” in the case.
Out of 12 accused identified in the case, nine have been arrested so far, and four supplementary chargesheets have been filed. The trial is ongoing. Two suspected shooters remain absconding.
In January 2025, the High Court had granted bail to six other accused—Sachin Andure, Ganesh Miskin, Amit Degvekar, Amit Baddi, Bharat Kurane, and Vasudev Suryavanshi—citing prolonged incarceration and the remote possibility of the trial concluding anytime soon.
