Bail granted by Bombay HC to 6 accused in Govind Pansare murder case
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Mumbai: The Bombay High Court granted bail on Wednesday to six people accused of murdering Communist Party of India leader Govind Pansare in 2015.
Justice Anil Kilor granted bail to Sachin Andure, Ganesh Miskin, Amit Degvekar, Amit Baddi, Bharat Kurane, and Vasudev Suryavanshi, citing their extended incarceration, the participation of over 250 witnesses in the case, and the trial's slow progress.
On February 16, 2015, Govind Pansare, a rationalist, was shot by two unidentified gunmen while returning home from a morning walk in Kolhapur. He died four days later, scroll.in reported.
Smita Pansare, his daughter, later petitioned the High Court regarding the investigation agency's poor progress in the case. She claimed that the deaths of her father and other important activists, including Narendra Dabholkar, MM Kalburgi, and Gauri Lankesh, were related and possibly perpetrated by a single entity.
She said that they were targeted because they opposed right-wing ideology. The High Court has halted judicial monitoring of Pansare's case. Initially, the probe was handled by a Special Investigation Team from the Maharashtra Police's Crime Investigation Department.
To expedite the investigation, the High Court referred the matter to the Anti-Terrorism Squad in August 2022. In 2024, the Maharashtra government's appeal to cancel the bail of Samir Gaikwad, another person accused of Pansare's murder, was denied by the High Court.