A Bombay High Court division bench of Justice Ranjit More and Justice VL Achliya said to the agencies investigating the murders of Narendra Dabholkar, Govind Pansare and MM Kalburgi, “We know you are doing your best but you have to increase your speed.”
Advocate Abhay Nevagi appeared for the families of Dabholkar and Pansare who had petitioned the court to transfer the probe to the National Investigation Agency.
Mr Nevagi pointed out that the Kolhapur sessions court had fixed March 8 for framing charges against Sameer Gaikwad, member of the right wing Sanathan Sanstha, the sole accused in Pansare’s murder.
The judges, in their order, noted that charge sheet has been filed and permission sought to carry out further investigation, and that “it is therefore expected from the court to give some time to the investigation agency.”
Narendra Dabholkar, author and rationalist who debunked black magic and superstition, was murdered in Pune in August 2013 by two unidentified gunmen.
Govind Pansare, CPI leader and author who advocated inter-caste marriages and criticised the glorification of Nathuram Godse, died in February 2015 after being shot by gunmen in Kolhapur. MM Kalburgi, a scholar of Vachana Sahitya and who spoke against idolatry in Hinduism, was shot dead in Dharwad.
