File fresh status report in Pansare case, SIT told

A division bench of Justices Ranjit More and Rajesh Ketkar asked what steps the investigating agency had taken to trace an accused who is absconding for the last 6x years.

Sameer Gaikwad, an accused in Govind Pansare murder case, being produced at a court in Kolhapur.

Noting that the Special Investigation Team status report in the Pansare murder case was silent on a suspected link with Rudra Patil, an abscondig accused in the 2009 Goa blast case, the Bombay High Court on Wednesday called for a fresh status report from the agency.

A division bench of Justices Ranjit More and Rajesh Ketkar asked what steps the investigating agency had taken to trace Patil who is absconding for the last six years.

Additional public prosecutor Mankuwar Deskmukh said the police suspected Patil's "connection" in the Pansare case as he had close contacts with the arrested accused Sameer Gaikwad.

Patil's advocate wife also represented Gaikwad in the magistrate's court, Abhay Nevagi, appearing for the Pansare family told the court.

"We don't want (to hear about) mere suspicion. We want to know what steps you have taken to reach Rudra Patil," the bench told the prosecution.

The court expressed dismay over the absence of a special public prosecutor in the case.

"In such a matter a senior person should be appointed. It is a sorry state of affairs," the court said.

On Wednesday the SIT and CBI submitted status reports on their respective investigations in the Govind Pansare and Narendra Dabholkar murders. Both agencies have to file fresh reports by October 20.