Dabholkar murder case: Punalekar granted bail

Mumbai: A Sessions court in Pune granted bail to advocate Sanjeev Punalekar on Friday in rationalist Dr Narendra Dabholkar murder case on PR bond of Rs 30,000.

The CBI on May 25, 2019 had arrested accused Sanjeev Punalekar and his assistant Vikram Bhave in the murder case. Punalekar, reportedly an office-bearer of the Hindu Vidhidnya Parishad, had represented some of the accused in the murder case. His assistant Bhave was convicted in the 2008 Thane bomb blast case. The agency has alleged that Bhave allegedly had done a reccee of the escape route.

According to Punalekar's lawyer Virendra Ichalkaranjikar the court has granted him conditional bail. The conditions imposed by the court while granting bail includes Punalekar must visit the CBI office twice a week, he should not leave the country without the agency's permission and not to pressurise the witnesses.

The CBI had opposed Punalekar's bail plea, saying he might tamper with evidence and influence the witnesses.

Punalekar is accused of advising Sharad Kalaskar, one of the two alleged assailants who gunned down Dabholkar in Pune on August 20, 2013, to destroy the weapons used in the crime. Punalekar is the fourth accused to get bail in the case after Amit Degvekar, Amol Kale and Rajesh Bangera.

Special public prosecutor in the case Prakash Suryawanshi in the past had argued that Punalekar has not acted as an advocate but had crossed his limits by advising one of the shooters to destroy the weapon.

Dr Dabholkar was killed on August 20, 2013. Following a PIL, filed by former scribe Ketan Tirodkar and family members of Mr Dabholkar, the CBI had taken over this case in May 2014.