The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has got some leads in the 2013 killing of CPI leader Govind Pansare and hence it requires some more time to probe the case further.
HC says ATS has new leads on absconding accused
A bench of Justices Ajey Gadkari and PD Naik, which is hearing petitions in relation to Pansare’s murder, noted in its order on Wednesday that the ATS has got fresh leads with regard to absconding accused Sarang Akolkar and Vinay Pawar.
The HC, on August 3, had transferred the case to the ATS considering there has been no "major headway" or "breakthrough" in the investigation into the 2013 killing. The court had, however, directed that some officers of the SIT team be a part of the ATS team. The order was passed on a plea filed by the late leader’s daughter Smita Pansare.
Pansare was shot down in 2013, no conviction since then
Pansare was shot down by some extremists on Feb 20, 2013. The HC has been monitoring the progress in the case.
The HC is also hearing applications filed by accused Sharad Kalaskar and Vikram Bhave seeking that the HC stop monitoring the probe as the charge sheet has already been filed. They contended that it’s delaying the trial.
On Wednesday, additional public prosecutor Mankunwar Deshmukh submitted a progress report to the HC in a sealed cover.
After going through the report, the HC noted in its order that fresh leads have surfaced which need to be probed. The report was filed pursuant to earlier HC directions, especially with regard to tracking the absconding accused.
Smita Pansare’s advocates, Abhay Nevagi and Amit Singh, urged the court to continue monitoring the case.
HC had quipped at accused for asking speedy trial
The judges had also clarified earlier that the accused have a right to a speedy trial, but have no say in further investigation. The bench’s remarks came after the advocates for the accused said that they are facing difficulties since the trial has been stalled for over seven years because of the orders passed by the HC while monitoring the case.
“You don’t have a legal right to be heard, at least at this stage. What we are monitoring is further probe towards the two absconding accused,” justice Gadkari had quipped.
The HC has kept the matter for hearing in June.
The activist’s family had filed an application recently before the HC seeking that the probe be transferred to the ATS as it had, in 2018, nabbed some persons from Nalasopara (in Palghar district) who were later found to be linked to the Pansare case and also to the killings of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar, activist M Kalburgi and journalist Gauri Lankesh.
