The Bombay High Court on Wednesday granted bail to Sharad Kalaskar, who was convicted earlier this year for the 2013 murder of renowned rationalist and anti-superstition activist Narendra Dabholkar.
A division bench comprising Justices Ajey Gadkari and Ranjitsinha Bhonsale ordered Kalaskar’s release on a surety of ₹50,000. While the prosecution requested a stay on the operation of the bail order, the court refused the plea. Having previously secured bail in the Govind Pansare murder case in October last year, Kalaskar is now expected to walk out of prison upon completion of the necessary legal formalities.
Narendra Dabholkar, the 67-year-old founder of the Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti (MANS), was shot dead by two motorcycle-borne assailants on August 20, 2013, while on a morning walk in Pune.
The investigation, initially handled by local police, was transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in 2014 following a petition filed by Dabholkar’s daughter, Mukta Dabholkar. On May 10, 2024, a sessions court sentenced Kalaskar and co-accused Sachin Andure to life imprisonment for the murder. However, the trial court acquitted three other accused—Virendra Singh Tawde, Sanjiv Punalekar, and Vikram Bhave—due to insufficient evidence. The court also notably dropped charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Arms Act.
Kalaskar, represented by advocate Shubhada Khot, challenged his conviction before the High Court and sought bail pending the final hearing of his appeal.
Simultaneously, Mukta Dabholkar has filed an appeal challenging the acquittal of the other accused and the exclusion of UAPA charges. Her petition contends that the murder was not an isolated incident but part of a broader conspiracy by right-wing extremists.
The assassination of Dabholkar is often cited as the first in a series of similar killings targeting rationalists and scholars across India, including Govind Pansare (2015), M.M. Kalburgi (2015), and journalist Gauri Lankesh (2017).
While the detailed order copy from the High Court is awaited, the decision marks a significant turn in a case that has spanned over a decade. Kalaskar continues to face trial for the murder of communist leader Govind Pansare, though he was granted bail in that specific case in late 2023.
