2 days ago
MANS again questions CBI for not appealing acquittals in Dabholkar murder case
The Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti (MANS) on Wednesday has once again questioned why the Central Bureau of Investigation has not appealed the acquittal of three accused in the murder case of Dr Narendra Dabholkar in the High Court. Two accused Sharad Kalaskar and Sachin Andure were found guilty for the murder by a special Pune court in May 2024, but Virendrasinh Tawde, Sanjeev Punalekar and Vikram Bhave were acquitted due to lack of evidence. All accused have links to Sanatan Sanstha.
Dabholkar's family had termed the delay in filing the appeal 'inexcusable' in August 2024 as well.
At a press conference in Pune on Wednesday presided by Dabholkar's son Dr Hamid Dabholkar, Milind Deshmukh, Nandini Jadhav, Shripal Lalwani, and Anil Velhal, MANS claimed that the masterminds of the murder are still at large and no efforts are being made by the government to arrest them.
It said that the court's observation 'Dr Narendra Dabholkar's murder was a well-planned conspiracy to end his ideas' was being ignored. It claimed that action was not being taken against masterminds in the murder cases of Govind Pansare, Prof M Kalburgi, and journalist Gauri Lankesh too. MANS highlighted that the threat to rational activists will remain unchanged until the masterminds are caught.
The organisation also demanded that the Anti-Superstition and Black Magic Act, which was enacted in Maharashtra after the murder of Dabholkar, must be implemented across the country, keeping in mind the increasing incidents of witchcraft across the country.
This year, the Dr Narendra Dabholkar Memorial Lecture will be delivered by retired Supreme Court Judge Abhay Oak on the topic 'The Constitution of India and Scientific Perspective'. on August 17 at 6 pm at the Sane Guruji Smarak on Sinhagad Road. Retired Supreme Court Judge Hemant Gokhale will preside over the event.
A set of 5 books on Dr Dabholkar will be launched by former IPS officer Meeran Chadda-Borwankar on August 20 at 6 pm at the same location. Sharad Baviskar, JNU professor and author of the famous autobiography Bhura, and Prabhakar Nanavati, editor of Narendra Dabholkar Granthamala, will be present as the chief guests.
