Govind Pansare murder: Bombay HC pulls up prosecution for seeking more time to file plea against bail to accused

Justice Bharati Dangre asked the prosecution if additional material can be a ground for cancellation of bail. The prosecutor said that the trial court, while granting bail, had not considered the complete material against Tawade.

The court said that previously too, in December, the prosecution had sought time to take instructions to argue the appeal. The court asked if the state was not interested in pursuing the appeal and was wasting the court’s time. It said that there were many people languishing in jail.

The High Court will hear the plea next on March 21.

In October 2022, too, the High Court had pulled up state authorities over its lack of urgency in proceeding with the appeal, stating that it was pending since 2018. Pansare was shot on February 16, 2015 near his house in Kolhapur. He died four days later. The state government, in its plea seeking cancellation of bail, stated that the sessions court order granting bail to Tawade was “bad in law” and had failed to consider that Tawade was the “main conspirator and mastermind” of the crime.