The CBI has arrested six persons in the case, five of them in August and September.THE CBI moved a Pune court on Thursday seeking extension of 45 days to file the supplementary chargesheet against Sachin Andure and Sharad Kalaskar, the two men who allegedly killed Narendra Dabholkar. The court had granted 45 days to the agency on November 17 to file the supplementary chargesheet in the case, considering the provisions under the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), which was invoked against all the suspects.
The UAPA stipulates a time period of 90 days after the date of arrest for filing a chargesheet, after which the investigating agency can seek a 90-day extension. The CBI, which was earlier slated to file a chargesheet on November 18, had moved an application before the court of Judicial Magistrate (First Class), S M A Sayyed, seeking extension. The court had granted an extension of 45 days, which lapses on January 2.
An officer said that the agency on Thursday moved an application in the court seeking extension of 45 more days to file the supplementary chargesheet. The hearing is slated to take place Friday and the court will hear arguments from both sides, the officer said.
The CBI has arrested six persons in the case, five of them in August and September. In June 2016, the CBI had arrested ENT surgeon and Sanatan Sanstha member Dr Virendra Tawde, the alleged mastermind of the conspiracy to kill Dabholkar. The CBI told the court that the five arrested this year have links to either the Sanatan Sanstha or its affiliate, the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti.
Among those arrested are Andure and Kalaskar, who, the CBI claimed, opened fire at Dabholkar on August 20, 2013 in Pune. The CBI had custody of three others — Amol Kale, Amit Digwekar and Rajesh Bangera — who are also accused in the murder of Bengaluru-based activist Gauri Lankesh in September 2017. On December 14, the court granted bail to Kale, Digwekar and Bangera.
Though granted bail in the Dabholkar murder case, the three remain in custody for the Lankesh case.
