Two defendants received life sentences, and three others were acquitted by a Special UAPA Court in Pune after more than a decade since Dr. Narendra Dabholkar’s assassination. The acquitted individuals include ENT surgeon Dr. Virendrasinh Tawade, Mumbai lawyer Sanjeev Punalekar, and his associate Vikram Bhave, as the court cited insufficient evidence. However, Sachin Andure and Sharad Kalaskar, identified as the attackers, were sentenced to life imprisonment.
Dr. Narendra Dabholkar, who led the Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti, was fatally shot in Pune on August 20, 2013, allegedly by members of an extremist group. His assassination was part of a series of targeted attacks, including the shootings of Govind Pansare in February 2015 and MM Kalburgi in August the same year, as well as Gauri Lankesh in Bengaluru in September 2017. Dabholkar’s advocacy against superstition through his organization, which involved publishing books and conducting workshops, drew widespread attention.
Following Dabholkar’s murder, amidst public outcry, the case was transferred from the Pune Police to the CBI by the Bombay High Court, following petitions filed by Dabholkar’s children. The legal proceedings related to the case remain ongoing, with the court addressing petitions and continued hearings.
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