Dabholkar murder trial: Cross examination of two defence witnesses concludes

THE CROSS examination of two defence witnesses in the trial of murder of Dr Narendra Dabholkar — the sisters of the two alleged shooters Sharad Kalaskar and Sachin Andure — concluded on Tuesday. Meanwhile, a plea by the Defence lawyers in the case seeking issuance of summons to a government official in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (earlier known as Aurangabad) was allowed by the trial court.

On January 5, the sisters of two accused Sharad Kalaskar and Sachin Andure were examined by the defence lawyers as the defence witnesses before a special court in Pune. On Tuesday, the cross examination of these two women was taken by the Special Public Prosecutor Adv Prakash Suryavanshi. On January 5, during their examination in chief by the defence lawyers, the two women claimed before the court that their brothers were present with them at their homes for Raksha Bandhan celebrations on August 20, 2013, the day when Dr Dabholkar was murdered on the VR Shinde Bridge in Pune.

Rationalist and anti superstition activist Dr Dabholkar, was shot dead by two assailants on a bike on the VR Shinde bridge in Pune on the morning of August 20 in 2013. The accused who are being tried for murder charges include include ENT surgeon Dr Virendrasinh Tawade who was chargesheeted in September 2016, the two alleged assailants Andure and Kalaskar who were chargesheeted in February 2019, Mumbai-based lawyer Sanjeev Punalekar and his aide Vikram Bhave who were chargesheeted by in November 2019. All the accused are allegedly linked to radical outfit Sanatan Sanstha.

A Special Court in Pune on September 15, 2021 framed the charges against five accused, marking the beginning of the trial. All the five accused had pleaded not guilty to charges against them. While Tawade, Andure and Kalaskar are currently in prison, Bhave and Punalekar are out on bail.