Dabholkar case: HC raises concern over CBI chargesheet

Mumbai: The Bombay high court Friday expressed concern over the recent charge sheet filed by the CBI in the Pune sessions court in the Dabholkar murder case. The court said that at a time when the CBI investigation is at a crucial stage, revealing the details of the evidence could affect the future of the probe.

A division bench of Justice S.C. Dharmadhikari and Justice Riyaz Chagla was hearing the petitions filed by the kin of Dabholkar and Govind Pansare, seeking monitoring of the investigation by the Bombay high court.

On Friday, additional solicitor general (ASG) Anil Singh who represents the CBI informed the court that the agency requires 45 more days to complete its search operation in the Kalwa creek for the murder weapon.

The agency claimed that the accused persons had disposed of the weapon used to kill Dabholkar in the creek, on the advice of advocate Sanjive Punalikar who was arrested in the case with a supplementary charge sheet filed against him.

The court then told the CBI that important information should not have come out at a time when the investigation is at a crucial stage and that the same is not good for the probe.

Further, the family of slain activist Govind Pansare filed an application seeking a change of investigating officer in the case, even as the Bombay high court cautioned that such requests could have a negative impact on the probe. “The applicant (Pansare’s family) should realise the negative impact such an application will have. This will only scuttle the investigation. Nothing should rebound on the applicant,” the court said.

A special investigation team of the Maharashtra police’s CID is probing Pansare’s killing. The probe agency’s counsel Ashok Mundargi told the court that it would file its reply to the application by December 19.

Dabholkar, anti-superstition activist, was shot dead on August 20, 2013 in Pune and comrade Govind Pansare was shot and injured on February 16, 2015.