Bombay HC grants bail to second convict in Dabholkar murder

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday granted bail to Sachin Andure, convicted in the 2013 murder of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar, and suspended his life sentence pending appeal. A division bench of Justices Sarang Kotwal and Ranjitsinha Bhonsale allowed his interim application. Andure, who is also facing trial in the Govind Pansare murder case, can now walk out of jail as he has secured bail in both cases.

Andure was sentenced to life imprisonment by a sessions court on May 10, 2024, along with co-convict Sharad Kalaskar, but both were acquitted of charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Arms Act. The high court had earlier granted bail to Kalaskar in April this year. The court expressed serious doubts about the CBI's method of identifying Andure through photographs rather than a test identification parade, Hindustan Times reports.

Dabholkar's daughter Mukta has filed an appeal challenging the acquittals and the exclusion of UAPA charges, alleging a larger conspiracy by right-wing extremists. The Hindu notes that the killing was the first in a chain of murders of rationalists, including Pansare, MM Kalburgi, and Gauri Lankesh.