Latest news with #Karad
India Today
2 days ago
- Politics
- India Today
Evidence shows Walmik Karad is member of crime syndicate: Maharashtra court
A special court under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) in Beed has rejected a discharge application filed by Walmik Baburao Karad, the prime accused in a case involving extortion and murder liked to a company called Avaada Energy Private Limited in Kaij district of Beed, court observed that there is prima facie evidence to show that the accused is a member of a crime a close aide of former Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) minister Dhananjay Munde, was booked under MCOCA for the murder of a village head, Santosh Deshmukh. Karad had sought his discharge under Section 250 of the Bhartiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), contending that he was falsely implicated due to a political vendetta. He denied playing any role in a crime syndicate and challenged the legality of the prior approval and sanction under public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam, who is now a Rajya Sabha member, submitted that the sanction for MCOCA was taken as per judge V.H. Patwadkar noted that Karad and his co-accused had allegedly demanded rupees 2 crore from Avaada Energy and had threatened to halt their operations in the area if their demands were not Deshmukh tried to intervene in the matter, he was allegedly abducted and killed on December 9, 2024. Witness statements and electronic evidence reportedly linked Karad to the court observed that 20 cases were registered against Karad, and 7 of those were within the past decade. The judge said, "This prima facie shows that Karad is involved in continuing unlawful activities."Indicating a pattern of continuing unlawful activity, the court further held that there was prima facie material, including scientific, digital, and forensic evidence, to proceed with charges under numerous sections of the law."Validity of prior permission or sanction shall not be doubted at this juncture. Thus, the statements of witnesses, material, technical, digital, scientific and forensic evidence prima facie reveal that the offence was committed by Karad and co-accused persons as a result of non-fulfillment of the demand of the ransom by the company, obstruction by Deshmukh, followed by conspiracy, abduction and elimination of deceased," the judge also ruled that the scope for discharge at this stage was limited and that sufficient grounds existed to proceed with the trial, thereby rejecting Karad's plea while adding, "The applicant appears to have been a member of the organised crime syndicate and was involved in continuing unlawful activities."- EndsTrending Reel IN THIS STORY#Maharashtra
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Beed sarpanch murder case: Court rejects Walmik Karad's discharge plea
The Beed Court in Maharashtra rejected the discharge plea filed by Walmik Karad, the main accused in the chilling murder of a Beed sarpanch, Santosh Deshmukh, saying prima facie evidence reflects his involvement in the organised crime syndicate. The Special Judge V.H. Patwadkar heard his plea on July 22 and in the detailed order released this week said, 'The statements of witnesses, electronic, digital, scientific, forensic, evidence etc. prima facie shows complicity of the applicant as it appears he have been member of the organized crime syndicate and was involved in continuing unlawful activities. Therefore, there are sufficient grounds to proceed against the applicant. Hence, the accused is not entitled to be discharged.' Mr. Karad was booked under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) along with seven other accused in the murder case of Santosh Deshmukh on December 9, last year. Mr. Karad is known to be a close aide of former agriculture minister and Ajit-Pawar-led NCP leader Dhananjay Munde. The prosecution in the court argued that accused Walmik Karad conspired with co-accused persons, demanding a ransom of ₹2 crores from the officials of the company Avaada Energy Private Ltd. 'Deceased Santosh Deshmukh tried to intervene and prevent the accused persons from closing the work of the company in the village Massajog in Beed. In order to teach a permanent lesson to deceased Santosh Deshmukh, the suspect, along with co-accused persons, allegedly hatched a conspiracy,' said the prosecution in the order. The prosecution also cited that Mr. Karad acted as a director from behind the scenes and got the crime done through co-accused persons. 'Mr. Karad was all the while threatening co-accused persons as to why they failed to do the assigned work as conspired. Video recording, FSL report go to show the complicity of the Karad,' said Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam, adding if his name is dropped, then this can pose a problem to law and order. Whereas Karad filed the discharge plea, arguing he was framed falsely for political reasons and also mentioned that his role in the syndicated crime was not specified. He also alleged that the police did not reveal that among the 20 cases filed against him, in almost 15 cases, his name is clear, and the 'Bombay High Court also acquitted him in the appeal stage'.
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Sarpanch murder case: Walmik Karad appears to have been part of crime syndicate, says court
Mumbai, A special court in Maharashtra's Beed has held that Walmik Karad, the prime accused in the murder of sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh, appeared to be a member of an organised crime syndicate involved in unlawful activities. Sarpanch murder case: Walmik Karad appears to have been part of crime syndicate, says court MCOCA judge, V H Patwadkar, while rejecting Karad's discharge application in the case last week, stated that he and co-accused shot a video of the attack on the victim "to create terror of their gang/syndicate". Considering the material on record, the court said prima facie, Karad appears to be a member of an organised crime syndicate and involved in "continuing unlawful activities". The court noted that "the accused persons allegedly shot a video and made video calls to others while mercilessly beating Deshmukh in order to create terror of their gang/syndicate". Deshmukh, the sarpanch of Massajog village in Beed district, was abducted and tortured to death on December 9 last year, allegedly for attempting to stop an extortion bid targeting an energy company. Eight persons, including Karad, have been arrested so far and booked under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act, the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Act and the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita. The Criminal Investigation Department has filed a chargesheet running into more than 1,200 pages in the murder case and two related offences in the court. Karad, in his discharge plea, claimed he had been falsely implicated in the case due to political motivations. On MCOCA charges, the accused contended that no such crime syndicate existed, and he was not a member. The prosecution, while opposing his plea, gave a detailed account of the alleged conspiracy and its execution. It also alleged that Karad conspired with the co-accused to demand a ransom of ₹2 crore from Avaada Energy Private Ltd. to allow them to operate their business in Kaij Taluka. They reportedly threatened to halt the company's work if the ransom was not paid, it said. The prosecution further claimed that when Deshmukh intervened, Karad and the co-accused allegedly conspired, kidnapped, and fatally assaulted him, leading to his death. They then dumped Deshmukh's body at Daithana Phata and fled, the police said. The prosecution also pointed out that Karad had been booked in 20 cases previously, with seven offences being registered in the last 10 years. The court noted that statements of witnesses, along with electronic, digital, scientific, and forensic evidence, prima facie demonstrate Karad's complicity in the crime. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Beed sarpanch murder: proof points to Walmik Karad's crime syndicate links, court said while rejecting MCOCA discharge plea
In its detailed order rejecting a discharge plea by Walmik Karad, the main accused in the murder of a sarpanch in Maharashtra's Beed district, a special court has said that there is prima facie evidence to show that he is a member of an organised crime syndicate. The plea was rejected on July 22, and the full order was made available this week. Karad – a close aide of former NCP minister Dhananjay Munde – and others have been booked under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) for the murder of Santosh Deshmukh on December 9, 2024. 'Validity of prior permission or sanction shall not be doubted at this juncture. Thus the statements of witnesses, material, technical, digital, scientific and forensic evidence prima facie reveal that the offence is committed by the applicant and co-accused persons,' the detailed order by special judge V H Patwadkar said. The prosecution said that between October and December 2024, the accused, including Karad, conspired and demanded ransom from a company to run their business in the district. When Massajog sarpanch Deshmukh intervened, a plan was made to abduct and murder him. Deshmukh was subsequently killed. The prosecution has claimed that the co-accused videographed the act and also made a video call to Karad. The prosecution cited 20 previous crimes filed against Karad, including that of unlawful assembly and attempt to murder, and said he was also convicted in one case. It added that the other accused were following the instructions of Karad, who is a member of the crime syndicate. Karad had filed the discharge plea stating he was falsely implicated for political reasons, and there was no crime syndicate as claimed by the police. He also questioned the validity of the sanction under the MCOCA given in February, claiming that due procedure was not followed while invoking the Act. He said no role was specified when it came to his involvement in the crime. Karad said the police deliberately hid the fact that among the cases cited, he was cleared in almost 15 of them, including the case in which he was convicted, and that the Bombay High Court had acquitted him in the appeal stage. Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam submitted that the sanction for MCOCA was taken as per procedure and if it is dropped, the crime syndicate will continue its work, resulting in a grave law and order problem.
Time of India
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Massajog sarpanch murder case: Court rejects Valmik Karad's discharge plea, next date Aug 4
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: A special MCOCA court in Beed on Tuesday rejected former Parli municipal council chief Valmik Karad's plea seeking discharge in the case of abduction and murder of Massajog sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh. The court has reserved its decision on the plea against the seizure of Karad's movable and immovable assets. Karad, a close aide of NCP's then agriculture minister Dhananjay Munde, was described by the state CID as the "mastermind" behind the murder. On Dec 9, 2024, Deshmukh was abducted from the Umri toll naka and taken to Chincholi Takli Shiv, where he was subjected to torture before being killed, and his body was disposed of near Daithana phata in Beed. The murder sparked statewide agitation and protests. In a combined chargesheet filed on Feb 27, the CID concluded that Deshmukh's murder resulted from a larger conspiracy by Karad and his seven aides "to create a reign of terror by eliminating anyone coming in the way of their Rs2 crore extortion bid" on a renewable energy firm, which invested over Rs300 crore in a windmill plant at Kaij in Beed district. The Rs 2 crore extortion bid on Nov 29, 2024, is one of three cases, the other two being the abduction and murder of Deshmukh and the Dec 6 assault on the firm's employees. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Ready for a Glow-Up? [Get Your Reading Now] Undo Glow-Up Packages from $15 [Sign Up] Undo Affect Your Future Now! (Book Today) Undo Following the court's order on Tuesday, Karad's aide, Vishnu Chate, and five other co-accused filed applications seeking discharge in the case. The prosecution opposed Karad's plea for bail in the case. "We have opposed Karad's bail plea and the discharge pleas filed by other co-accused," special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam said. He said, "Today (Tuesday), we filed a plea requesting the court to frame draft charges against Valmik Karad and his associates under 12 to 13 different sections. The hearing on this plea will be held later. The discharge applications filed by the accused in the Deshmukh murder case have been submitted belatedly. As per legal provisions, such applications should be filed within two months of the chargesheet being submitted. However, they failed to do so. Hence, we have also urged the court to reject these applications. The next hearing in the matter is scheduled for Aug 4." Meanwhile, Karad's lawyer Vikas Khade said they will approach the high court to challenge the trial court's rejection of Karad's discharge application. "A hearing on Karad's discharge plea was held, during which the court dismissed the application." Karad's bail application has also been submitted before the court. "Additionally, discharge applications have been filed by the lawyers of all the accused," Khade said. Further informing that arguments were also presented by both sides regarding the seizure of property, he said, "We submitted our plea to lift the restrictions on the frozen bank account. The hearing on this matter has been completed, and the court is expected to give its decision on the next date." Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: A special MCOCA court in Beed on Tuesday rejected former Parli municipal council chief Valmik Karad's plea seeking discharge in the case of abduction and murder of Massajog sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh. The court has reserved its decision on the plea against the seizure of Karad's movable and immovable assets. Karad, a close aide of NCP's then agriculture minister Dhananjay Munde, was described by the state CID as the "mastermind" behind the murder. On Dec 9, 2024, Deshmukh was abducted from the Umri toll naka and taken to Chincholi Takli Shiv, where he was subjected to torture before being killed, and his body was disposed of near Daithana phata in Beed. The murder sparked statewide agitation and protests. In a combined chargesheet filed on Feb 27, the CID concluded that Deshmukh's murder resulted from a larger conspiracy by Karad and his seven aides "to create a reign of terror by eliminating anyone coming in the way of their Rs2 crore extortion bid" on a renewable energy firm, which invested over Rs300 crore in a windmill plant at Kaij in Beed district. The Rs 2 crore extortion bid on Nov 29, 2024, is one of three cases, the other two being the abduction and murder of Deshmukh and the Dec 6 assault on the firm's employees. Following the court's order on Tuesday, Karad's aide, Vishnu Chate, and five other co-accused filed applications seeking discharge in the case. The prosecution opposed Karad's plea for bail in the case. "We have opposed Karad's bail plea and the discharge pleas filed by other co-accused," special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam said. He said, "Today (Tuesday), we filed a plea requesting the court to frame draft charges against Valmik Karad and his associates under 12 to 13 different sections. The hearing on this plea will be held later. The discharge applications filed by the accused in the Deshmukh murder case have been submitted belatedly. As per legal provisions, such applications should be filed within two months of the chargesheet being submitted. However, they failed to do so. Hence, we have also urged the court to reject these applications. The next hearing in the matter is scheduled for Aug 4." Meanwhile, Karad's lawyer Vikas Khade said they will approach the high court to challenge the trial court's rejection of Karad's discharge application. "A hearing on Karad's discharge plea was held, during which the court dismissed the application." Karad's bail application has also been submitted before the court. "Additionally, discharge applications have been filed by the lawyers of all the accused," Khade said. Further informing that arguments were also presented by both sides regarding the seizure of property, he said, "We submitted our plea to lift the restrictions on the frozen bank account. The hearing on this matter has been completed, and the court is expected to give its decision on the next date."
