On Friday, a special court in Pune delivered its verdict in the high-profile Narendra Dabholkar murder case, acquitting three accused – Virendrasinh Tawde, Sanjeev Punalekar, and Vikram Bhave. The court, however, sentenced Sachin Andure and Sharad Kalaskar to life imprisonment for their involvement in the 2013 assassination.
Narendra Dabholkar, the founder of the Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti (MANS), was tragically killed by two bike-borne assailants on August 20, 2013, while he was out on his morning walk in Pune. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and a Special Investigation Team (SIT) appointed by the state government jointly investigated the case.
In 2017, the CBI identified Virendra Tawde, Sarang Akolkar, and Vinay Pawar of the right-wing Hindu group Sanatan Sanstha as prime suspects in the case. The CBI subsequently announced a reward of Rs5 lakh for information leading to the apprehension of Akolkar and Pawar, but no significant breakthrough has been made in tracking them down.