Bombay HC extends stay on framing of charges against Sameer Gaikwad

The Bombay high court on Friday extended stay on framing of charges against Sameer Gaikwad, an accused in the Govind Pansare murder case, as prosecution is awaiting a forensic report from the UK. The report has been sought to find out if there was any link between the murders of Pansare, Narendra Dabholkar and M.M. Kalburgi.

On June 9, the high court had directed a Kolhapur sessions court, presently conducting trial against Gaikwad, to defer framing of charges. The court had given this direction while hearing a petition filed by the Maharashtra government’s CID, which is probing the Pansare case. The CID challenged the Kolhapur sessions court’s May 20 order rejecting the prosecution’s application seeking to defer framing of charges against Gaikwad, pending forensic report. Public prosecutor Sandeep Shinde told the HC that the CBI had sent empty cartridges recovered from the crime scene in all three murders to a forensic lab of Scotland Yard police in the UK. “CBI is in touch with authorities concerned and has assured that all necessary steps will be taken,” said Mr Shinde.