Two Shooters get life term, 3 freed in 11-year-old Dabholkar murder case

Almost 11 years after two bike-borne assailants shot dead Pune-based rationalist, Narendra Dabholkar while he was on his morning walk, a special court in Pune on Friday acquitted three of the main accused as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) failed to establish their involvement. The court, however, handed over life imprisonment and a fine of ₹5 lakh each to the two shooters.

The court while acquitting the three: Virendrasingh Tawde, Sajiv Punalekar and Vikram Bhave , observed that the main mastermind behind the crime is someone else. While Tawde, an ENT specialist by profession and a member of Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS), an offshoot of radical Hindutva outfit Sanatan Sanstha; Punalekar had been the counsel for the right wing outfit, Sanatan Sanstha.

Finding that both the Pune police as well as the CBI has failed to unearth those masterminds, the agencies have to introspect, "...whether it is their failure or deliberate inaction on their part due to influence by any person in powers".


"From unnecessary and irrelevant lengthy cross-examination of the prosecution witnesses and even in final argument,anattempt is made to tarnish the image of the deceased. At the same time, the approach of the defence was to justify the killing of the deceased Narendra Dabholkar, by labelling him as anti-Hindu. The said approach is very strange and condemnable," additional session judge Prabhakar P Jadhav said in his order.

"It is not the exclusive act of the accused but definitely there is a pre plan by masterminds. Unfortunately, the prosecution has failed to unmask those masterminds," the order further adds.

The court also observed that the sanction to prosecute the accused under the stringent provisions of UAPA wasn't sanctioned within the time limit nor was the proposal considered personally by the officer while according the sanction. "...Considering the status of the deceased, this case is of national importance. Despite the said fact, the casual and negligent approach of PW15 and PW19, (officers from the state home department) is not only shocking but requires condemnation. It shows that even though this case is of national importance, officers on high posts (PW15 and PW19) have not shown utmost care and caution expected from them," the court observed.

On August 20, 2013, Dabholkar was killed outside his Pune residence. A case of murder was registered with the Pune city police, initially probed by its crime branch and later transferred to the CBI in May 2014.

The court held that the motive behind killing Dabholkar was the hatred feelings of Sanata Sanstha and its activists who were bitterly opposing the ideology of the deceased; however, merely motive is not enough to prove the case against any person.