In Pune, the Special Court announced the verdict in the Narendra Dabholkar murder case after 11 years. Five accused were involved, with Sachin Andure and Sharad Kalaskar being convicted as the killers and sentenced to life imprisonment by a special judge. A fine of five lakh rupees was also imposed on them. The other three accused, Dr. Virender Singh Tawde, Sanjeev Punalekar, and Vikram Bhave, were acquitted due to insufficient evidence.
Mukta Dabholkar, daughter of Narendra Dabholkar, stated that the master mind behind the murder is still at large and urged the investigation agencies to apprehend them. She mentioned plans to appeal to the High Court regarding the acquitted accused. Mukta Dabholkar highlighted the seizure of illegal arms in Nalasopara during the investigation of journalist Gauri Lankesh's murder case in 2018, which led to the arrest of Andure and Kalaskar, the two accused in Dabholkar's murder case.
She expressed satisfaction that the shooters in the case have been sentenced after a five-year stand still in the investigation from 2013 to 2018. The progress was attributed to media coverage, activists, and supporters. Mukta Dabholkar emphasized the 11-year battle for justice, expressing contentment with the conviction of the killers.
However, she mentioned plans to challenge the acquittal of the other three accused in higher courts. The role and motives of Dr. Tawde in the crime were highlighted, but the lack of substantial evidence led to the acquittal of Bhave and Punalekar by the special judge.
