The State government on Thursday informed the Bombay High Court that it does not want to transfer the investigation into the Govind Pansare murder to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and that the State-run Special Investigation Team (SIT) will continue the probe.
Assistant public prosecutor Mankhuwar Deshmukh told a division Bench of Justice S.C. Dharmadhikari and Justice Shalini Phansalkar Joshi that there is progress in the investigation, and that they have recorded the statements of witnesses.
Advocate Abhay Nevgi, representing the family of the activist, said they had urged the government to hand over the investigation to the CBI and the state has shown willingness to do the same. He said he has a letter where Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said that he will transfer the investigation to the CBI if the family wants. He also said that sources in the SIT have asked the family to seek transfer of investigation to the Central agency.
The court said that the State is answerable to the court and any lack of cooperation from its side will be viewed seriously.
Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh said the bullets that killed Mr. Pansare and Narendra Dabholkar and ballistic reports have been sent to Scotland Yard to seek expert opinion to check if the same weapon was used to kill both of them, and sought more time.
The court said, “If the investigations do not conclude fast, it might give an impression to the people at large that you do not want to arrest certain people.”
The State-run Special Investigation Team will continue the investigation into
the murder
