Govind Pansare murder: Bombay High Court grants bail to 6 accused citing long incarceration

The court said the bail plea of another accused, Virendrasingh Tawade, would be separately heard in due course.

A single-judge bench of Justice Anil S Kilor concluded hearing on the bail pleas on December 12, 2024, and reserved the verdict.

Dr Megha Pansare, daughter-in-law of the deceased activist, had filed intervention applications opposing their bail pleas.

Pansare, an activist and Communist Party of India, and his wife were shot while on a morning walk on February 16, 2015, in Kolhapur. While his wife survived the attack, the CPI leader died at a Mumbai hospital four days later.

On January 2, another bench of the high court disposed of a plea filed by Megha Pansare and the CPI leader’s daughter Smita Pansare, who sought a court-monitored investigation into his killing. The court said the investigation did not require further monitoring by it and directed the Kolhapur court to expedite the trial.

In August 2022, the court transferred the investigation to the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) from the Special Investigation Team of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the police.

The ATS had identified 12 accused, of which charges have been framed against 10–the seven bail applicants as well as Sameer Gaikwad, Amol Kale and Sharad Kalaskar–for murder, attempt to murder and criminal conspiracy under the Indian Penal Code and provisions of the Arms Act.

The Kolhapur court has declared alleged shooters Vinay Pawar and Sarang Akolkar as absconding in the case.

The accused are linked to a radical right-wing outfit called Sanatan Sanstha and its affiliates, according to the ATS.

Tawade, Kalaskar and Andure were also named in the 2013 murder of anti-superstition activist Dr Narendra Dabholkar. Most of the accused in the Pansare murder case are also charged in the 2015 murder of Kannada scholar M M Kalburgi and the 2017 murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh.