Inspector who killed cop he had an affair with gets life term
Navi Mumbai: More than two weeks after being convicted for murdering assistant police inspector
Ashwini Bidre-Gore
, chopping up her body and disposing of it in 2016, dismissed decorated police inspector
Abhay Kurundkar
(52) was on Monday sentenced to
life imprisonment
.
Although Bidre-Gore's body parts were never found, a Panvel sessions court held that their absence was not an "absolute ground to exonerate the offenders". It, however, said the case also did not fall in the rarest of rare category to warrant death penalty, as sought by the prosecution.
Additional sessions judge K G Paldewar also came down heavily on
Navi Mumbai police
for not taking prompt action in the case and said the entire police machinery stood behind Kurundkar. The court directed the police chief to initiate action against two officers over lapses.
Two aides—driver Kundan Bhandari (52) and close friend Mahesh Phalnikar (48)—who were convicted for helping Kurundkar dispose of the body parts were given seven years in prison each.
The court held that the time spent by Kurundkar, who was arrested in Dec 2017, as well as of Bhandari and Phalnikar since their arrest in Feb 2018 will be set off against their sentences.
The judge said police officers Anil Survase and Kondiram Popere's lapses in investigation were "intentional omission" and should not be "exonerated". Bidre-Gore's brother had filed a missing person complaint in July 2016, but an FIR was lodged only in Jan 2017. "It is painful that a lady police officer was brutally murdered and her torso and parts of body were in a creek. Despite that, police did not step into action to take cognisance of this crime promptly though sufficient evidence was before them," the court said.
Holding that circumstantial evidence in the case was sufficient, the judge noted that it was established that Kurundkar wanted to get rid of Bidre-Gore, with whom he was having an extramarital affair, as she was repeatedly demanding that he marry her. "Thus, the homicidal death as well as the motive of the crime are established. The circumstances against the accused pointing towards his guilt are sufficient to establish the offence of murder even in the absence of the dead body." The prosecution had said Kurundkar had killed Bidre-Gore with the help of three others at his house in Bhayander, chopped her body into pieces, kept the parts in a refrigerator, and threw them into the Bhayander creek.
Defence lawyer Vishal Bhanushali said an appeal against Kurundkar's sentence will be filed in Bombay HC. Special public prosecutor Pradip Gharat said the state may file an appeal against the time spent in jail being counted as part of Kurundkar's sentence. Bidre-Gore's husband Raju Gore said he will approach HC to demand a probe by an independent agency against the police officers who allegedly shielded Kurundkar.
Kurundkar had received President's medal for meritorious service on Republic Day in 2017, months after the crime. While convicting him on April 5, the court had questioned how he had cleared the screening process for the award despite being under scrutiny.
The court had earlier acquitted the fourth accused in the case, Dnyandeo alias Raju Patil, the nephew of former cabinet minister Eknath Khadse, for lack of evidence.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
8 hours ago
- Time of India
Video proof, priest affidavit now must for marriage certs in UP
Ghaziabad: UP govt has announced significant reforms in its marriage registration policy, mandating video evidence of ceremonies and physical verification of priests. The new directives, issued on Friday following an Allahabad High Court order, said priests must submit notarised affidavits, appear as witnesses on behalf of couples at registration offices and possess a pen drive containing videos of the wedding. Marriage registrars would now accept applications from couples only if one of them is a permanent resident of that particular district. The govt move follows an HC order from May 12, seeking to address a rise in forged certificates and false documents linked to bogus marriages. The court was hearing a writ petition filed by a Greater Noida couple who claimed to have got married in Arya Samaj Mandir in June last year and secured a registration certificate in Ghaziabad. During the hearing, the court found that the certificate lacked the priest's name, the registered address of the Arya Samaj Mandir, and details of witnesses. The couple also did not appear before the local police, but sent a request seeking protection from their families from the post-office located on the HC premises. The HC ordered a probe into widespread irregularities in the state's marriage registration system, particularly in districts like Ghaziabad, Noida and Prayagraj. The scale of the problem became evident when the probe revealed that Ghaziabad alone recorded 29,022 marriages between Aug 2023 and Aug 2024 – nearly 10 times more than other key districts like Prayagraj (2,019), Gorakhpur (2,284), and Varanasi (2,711). More startlingly, smaller districts like Shrawasti and Chitrakoot registered only 51 and 112 marriages, respectively, during the same period. The investigations also revealed that couples from places like Ahmedabad claimed to have solemnised their marriages in Maharashtra, yet obtained registrations in Ghaziabad to secure court protection orders. In these cases, supporting documents such as Aadhaar and PAN cards often turned out to be forged or altered. Other fraudulent practices included certificates issued by non-existent societies, fictitious witnesses, and cases where minors were presented as adult brides. The HC also observed that the Uttar Pradesh Marriage Registration Rules, 2017, offered limited safeguards. For instance, these rules did not require applicants to declare specific customs observed during the wedding, while the digital registration portal provided no means for marriage officers to reject suspicious requests or track those denied. Concerned about widespread exploitation of these gaps, the HC recommended amendments to the 2017 rules. Until then, the measures announced by the govt will stay. "Under the new directives, marriage registration applications will only be accepted from couples if any one present with them is a permanent resident of the district where they are applying. This applies to either the bride, groom, or their parents. Temporary accommodation documents, such as unregistered rent agreements, will no longer be considered valid proof of residence," said Pushpendra Kumar, assistant inspector-general (AIG, stamps), Ghaziabad. In cases where a couple register their marriage without parental consent, the priest who performs the ceremony must be physically present at the time of registration. "They need to submit affidavits with complete details and video evidence," Kumar said. The notification, signed by inspector-genera (stamps) Sameer Verma, allows marriage officials some flexibility if parents or adult family members from both sides are present. "If parents or adult family members of both parties are present and vouch for the marriage, the marriage registration officer may waive the video and priest affidavit requirements, provided they're satisfied with the marriage's authenticity," the notification read. Each registration performed under the new rules would have a special stamp, while the priest's affidavit and related documents would be subject to thorough verification. District offices would have to maintain a separate register containing credentials of the priest, such as their Aadhaar details, phone numbers, and photographs. "We applied the residency rule locally in Ghaziabad back in April in keeping with the high court's interim directions. The other rules will also be implemented with immediate effect," AIG Kumar said. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Eid wishes , messages , and quotes !
Indian Express
9 hours ago
- Indian Express
If there was crime, a culpable act, why wasn't it punished, asks V-P Dhankhar
A more than three-decade-old judicial order has rendered the government of the day 'handicapped' and 'provides a virtually impregnable cover' to HC judges against whom an FIR cannot be lodged, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar Friday said. Dhankhar's remarks came on the Justice Yashwant Varma episode during an interaction with a delegation of the Punjab and Haryana HC Bar Association. 'The government of the day is handicapped. It can't register an FIR because there is a judicial order, which is more than three decades old. It provides a virtually impregnable cover. Unless permission is accorded by a functionary at the highest level in the judiciary, an FIR can't be registered… why was that permission not given? That was the minimum that could have been done at the earliest occasion,' Dhankhar said, as per an official statement issued after the interaction. The Centre has reached out to all political parties to build a consensus before bringing a motion of impeachment against Justice Varma during the monsoon session of the Parliament. Dhankhar, however, asked if bringing a motion to remove a judge, is the answer. 'If a crime was committed, a culpable act shaking the foundations of democracy, why wasn't it punished? We have lost more than three months, and the investigation has not even been initiated. Whenever you go to court, they ask why the FIR was delayed,' he said. In an apparent reference to the SC-appointed committee in the mater, he asked, 'Does the committee of judges have a constitutional sanction? Does it have statutory sanction? Can its report result in any outcome? Can the report, by itself, be actionable? The Constitution says mechanism to remove a judge can be initiated either in Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha… this committee cannot substitute for an FIR investigation'. Without naming Justice Varma, he said a 'very painful' incident happened mid-March in Delhi when 'there was a cash haul, obviously tainted, unaccounted, illegal and unexplained' at the residence of a sitting judge. The incident appeared in the public domain after 6-7 days, he said. '… We don't know if it was an isolated incident. Whenever such a cash haul is made, the system has to find out whose money was it. What was the money trail? Are big sharks (involved)? Did the money influence judicial work?'
Time of India
13 hours ago
- Time of India
Tying the knot tighter: Video proof, priest affidavit now must for marriage certs in UP
Ghaziabad: UP govt has announced significant reforms in its marriage registration policy, mandating video evidence of ceremonies and physical verification of priests. The new directives, issued on Friday following an Allahabad High Court order, said priests must now submit notarised affidavits, appear as witnesses on behalf of couples at registration offices and possess a pen drive containing videos of the marriage. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Marriage registrars would now accept applications from couples only if one of them is a permanent resident of that particular district. The govt move follows an HC order from May 12, seeking to address a rise in forged certificates and false identity documents linked to bogus marriages. The court was hearing a writ petition filed by a Greater Noida couple who claimed to have got married in Arya Samaj Mandir in June last year and secured a registration certificate in Ghaziabad. During the course of the hearing, the court found that the certificate lacked the priest's name, the registered address of the Arya Samaj Mandir, and details of witnesses. The couple also did not appear before the local police, but sent a request seeking protection from their families from the post-office located on the HC premises. The HC ordered a probe into widespread irregularities in the state's marriage registration system, particularly in districts like Ghaziabad, Noida and Prayagraj. The scale of the problem became evident when the probe revealed that Ghaziabad alone recorded 29,022 marriages between Aug 2023 and Aug 2024 – nearly 10 times more than other key districts like Prayagraj (2,019), Gorakhpur (2,284), and Varanasi (2,711). More startlingly, smaller districts like Shrawasti and Chitrakoot registered only 51 and 112 marriages, respectively, during the same period. The investigations also revealed that couples from places like Ahmedabad claimed to have solemnised their marriages in Maharashtra, yet obtained registrations in Ghaziabad to secure court protection orders. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In these cases, supporting documents such as Aadhaar and PAN cards often turned out to be forged or altered. Other fraudulent practices included certificates issued by non-existent societies, fictitious witnesses, and cases where minors were presented as adult brides. The HC also observed that the Uttar Pradesh Marriage Registration Rules, 2017, offered limited safeguards. For instance, these rules did not require applicants to declare specific customs observed during the wedding, while the digital registration portal provided no means for marriage officers to reject suspicious requests or track those denied. Concerned about widespread exploitation of these gaps, the HC recommended amendments to the 2017 rules. Until then, the measures announced by the govt will stay. "Under the new directives, marriage registration applications will only be accepted from couples if any one present with them is a permanent resident of the district where they are applying. This applies to either the bride, groom, or their parents. Temporary accommodation documents, such as unregistered rent agreements, will no longer be considered valid proof of residence," said Pushpendra Kumar, assistant inspector-general (AIG, stamps), Ghaziabad. In cases where a couple register their marriage without parental consent, the priest who performs the ceremony must be physically present at the time of registration. "They need to submit affidavits with complete details and video evidence," Kumar said. The notification, signed by inspector-general (stamps) Sameer Verma, allows marriage officials some flexibility if parents or adult family members from both sides are present. "If parents or adult family members of both parties are present and vouch for the marriage, the marriage registration officer may waive the video and priest affidavit requirements, provided they're satisfied with the marriage's authenticity," the notification read. Each registration performed under the new rules would have a special stamp, while the priest's affidavit and related documents would be subject to thorough verification. District offices would have to maintain a separate register containing credentials of the priest, such as their Aadhaar details, phone numbers, and photographs. "We applied the residency rule locally in Ghaziabad back in April in keeping with the high court's interim directions. The other rules will also be implemented with immediate effect," AIG Kumar told TOI.
