Cannot perpetually monitor Narendra Dabholkar murder trial: Bombay High Court

The Bombay High Court recently observed that it cannot monitor the trial in Dr. Narendra Dabholkar murder case perpetually..A division bench of Justices AS Gadkari and PD Naik said this while hearing an application filed by two accused in the case, Vikram Bhave and Virendrasinh Tavade, who prayed that monitoring of the trial by the High Court be discontinued.“There cannot be perpetual monitoring. Some monitoring is fine, but the law is clear… that when a chargesheet is filed, the rights of the accused are to be considered,” the Court said.The bench asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to submit the status of investigation in the case and posted the matter for further hearing on January 30. .Dabholkar, founder and head of the Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti, an anti-superstition outfit, was shot dead in August 2013, allegedly by members of a radical outfit called Sanatan Sanstha. After a High Court order in a public interest litigation in 2014, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over the investigation in 2014 and filed a chargesheet against five accused in the murder case.The trial in the case commenced in September 2021 after charges were framed against all five accused..The two accused submitted that since the trial had commenced, the High Court could discontinue with its monitoring of the trial.Advocate Abhay Nevagi, representing Dabholkar’s kin, claimed that the CBI was yet to track the motorcycle and weapons used in the crime. He added that as per the supplementary chargesheet filed in 2019, an investigation was underway..The Court at this point asked CBI about the developments after the chargesheet of 2019. Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh for CBI sought time to respond to the court’s query, stating that a new investigating officer has taken charge.The Court then posted the matter for hearing on January 30.

Cannot perpetually monitor Narendra Dabholkar murder trial: Bombay High Court

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