Beed sarpanch murder: A year later, charges framed against 6 accused

While Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam proposed these charges, the accused denied their involvement and pleaded not guilty. They will now face trial with the examination of witnesses set to begin soon. The next scheduled date is on January 8, 2026.

According to the prosecution, 46-year-old Deshmukh was kidnapped in broad daylight, shoved into a car, and assaulted for around three hours. After he succumbed to the injuries caused by the assault, his body was dumped on a road near his village.

The prosecution alleges that Deshmukh was murdered as he had tried to prevent an extortion bid by the accused. It is alleged that the accused, led by Karad, were in the process of extorting Rs 2 crore from a windmill company. Faced with opposition, the accused conspired and killed Deshmukh.

The murder rocked the Winter Session of the state Assembly in 2024, with the Opposition questioning the law and order in the state. The police arrested Karad, a relative of the main accused, Vishnu Chate. A group leader in the Parli Nagar Parishad, Karad, was also the president of the Ladki Bahin Yojana in Beed and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) member of the Beed district planning committee.

Munde had resigned as minister in March 2025 over his association with Karad, although he cited health reasons for the stepdown.

Karad, who remains in judicial custody, has in the past year sought bail and also challenged the invocation of MCOCA in the case. The Beed court rejected both pleas. On the invocation of MCOCA, the court had, in July 2025, said that the validity of the sanction and other aspects can be looked into during the trial.