Narendra Dabholkar murder: CBI gets 45 more days to file supplementary chargesheet

A Pune court on Wednesday granted the CBI 45 more days to file a supplementary chargesheet against Sachin Andure and Sharad Kalaskar, the two men accused of killing anti-superstition activist Dr Narendra Dabholkar.

On November 17, the court had granted the agency a 45-day extension for filing a supplementary chargesheet, considering the provisions under the UAPA that was invoked against all the accused. As per the provisions, the stipulated time period for filing a chargesheet in UAPA cases is 90 days from the date of the arrest, following which the agency can seek a 90-day extension.

The CBI, which was earlier scheduled to file a chargesheet on November 18, had moved an application before the court of Judicial Magistrate (First Class) S M A Sayyed, seeking an extension. The court had granted an extension of 45 days, which would have lapsed on Wednesday.

On December 27, the agency moved an application in the court, seeking another extension of 45 days to file the supplementary chargesheet. As the defence lawyer did not argue against the agency’s application seeking time, the court granted an extension of 45 more days, said a CBI officer.

Till now, the probe agency has arrested six persons in the case, five of them in August and September last year. 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 last year have links to either the Sanatan Sanstha or its affiliate Hindu Janajagruti Samiti.

Among those arrested last year are Andure and Kalaskar who, the CBI claimed, opened fire at Dabholkar in Pune, on the morning of August 20, 2013.

The CBI also had the custody of three others — Amol Kale, Amit Digwekar and Rajesh Bangera — who are also accused in the murder of Bengaluru-based journalist and activist Gauri Lankesh.