former-maharashtra-cm-prithviraj-chavan-displeased-with-dabholkar-verdict

Former Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan expressed dissatisfaction with the recent court verdict in the Dr. Narendra Dabholkar case, emphasising that justice hasn't been fully served.

 

He reiterated his stance that the right-wing organisation 'Sanatan Sanstha' should be considered a "terrorist organisation" due to its suspected involvement in the killing of the prominent rationalist.

 

In a significant development, a special court for UAPA cases in Pune sentenced two individuals, Sachin Andure and Sharad Kalaskar, to life imprisonment for their role in Dr. Dabholkar's murder. However, three others - ENT surgeon Dr. Virendrasinh Tawde, Sanjeev Punalekar, and Vikram Bhave - were acquitted due to insufficient evidence.

 

Chavan questioned the lack of clarity surrounding the involvement of Sanatan Sanstha and the mastermind behind Dabholkar's assassination. He also highlighted the need to investigate potential connections between Dabholkar's murder and the killings of Govind Pansare and Gauri Lankesh.

 

During his tenure as chief minister from 2010 to 2014, Chavan recalled that then ACS (Home) Umesh Sarangi had recommended a ban on Sanatan Sanstha under the UAPA based on an Anti Terrorism Squad report. Despite efforts to push for a ban, no concrete action was taken, leading to Dabholkar's tragic demise in 2013.

 

Chavan lamented the delay in addressing the ban request, emphasising that the dossier recommending a ban on the outfit was submitted to the Union home ministry in 2014. He reiterated his stance that Sanatan Sanstha should be designated as a terrorist organisation due to its alleged involvement in criminal activities.

 

Meanwhile, in response to Chavan's comments, the Sanatan Sanstha's spokesperson Abhay Vartak criticised the former chief minister for allegedly misleading the investigation by attributing the killing to pro-Hindutva groups shortly after the incident occurred in 2013.