Mumbai: A sessions court in Kolhapur on Tuesday granted bail to Dr Virendra Singh Tawade, the prime accused in the case involving the murder of CPI leader Govind Pansare in 2015, on personal bond of Rs 25,000. Even after securing the bail, Tawade would not come out of jail immediately as he is in judicial custody in another murder case, that of rationalist Dr Narendra Dabholkar who was killed in Pune in 2013.
Tawade’s lawyer Sameer Patwardhan told The Asian Age that the bail plea filed before the district judge L.D. Bile has been allowed. The court has imposed certain conditions on Tawade: he will have to attend the SIT office every Saturday from 11 am to 1 pm and he cannot leave the limits of Kolhapur without the court’s permission. He has also been asked not to tamper with evidence and submit his passport with the SIT. Tawade, currently lodged at the Yerwada Prison near Pune,
Earlier on June 17, 2017, the same court had granted bail to co-accused Sameer Gaikwad.
Speaking to The Asian Age, Mr Patwardhan said that they had sought bail purely on law points and they had argued that the prosecution had failed to bring on record any evidence to prima facie show that Tawade was involved in the conspiracy to kill Pansare.
The CBI had first arrested Tawade in 2016 in connection with 2013, killing of Dr Dabholkar in Pune. Later, the Maharashtra CID arrested him in Pansare murder case too.
Tawade, an ENT specialist, is the leader of Hindu Janjagruti Samiti, believed to be one of a right-wing group.
The prosecution’s case is that on February 16, 2015, two unknown assailants shot at Dr Pansare and his wife Umadevi when they were taking a morning walk.
