Advocate Sarita Khanchandani Suicide Case: UBT Leader Dhananjay Bodare Seeks Anticipatory Bail, Defence Claims No Evidence Of Abetment

Advocate appearing for UBT leader Dhananjay Bodare on Wednesday, while arguing his anticipatory bail application, told the court that apart from a few allegations, the police have no specific proof to show Bodare’s active involvement in pushing Advocate Sarita Khanchandani to the brink of suicide.

The defence also criticized the police investigation, pointing out that even the FIR does not contain a single piece of evidence that could support abetment charges against Bodare.

Advocate Narendra Soneji, arguing on behalf of Bodare, said, “The defence is actually waiting for the police to point out a single allegation against Bodare which can show that he was somehow responsible for abetting suicide. Prima facie there is not a single charge registered against him. Just by saying that he was involved in the case does not help. Allegations of provocation, harassment, or encouragement to suicide nowhere prove the grave charges against the accused. The police have to establish his mental state of mind. Several judgments of the Bombay High Court as well as the Supreme Court have specified that not every case can be labelled as abetment to suicide. To prove the degree of torture is important.”

Police Investigation Under Scrutiny

He further argued that in the current case, there was a direct allegation against the police themselves. “The deceased had warned the police that she would commit suicide if they registered the alleged fake FIR that Giya Gopalani wanted to file against her. In such a case, the police should have been held responsible for her death. The investigation of the Vithalwadi police is so shoddy that they have even failed to collect the CCTV footage of Sarita’s house, where Giya was staying. Despite the presence of CCTV cameras at the location, the footage was never retrieved,” Soneji submitted.

Background of the Case

The defence also highlighted that Bodare’s name was not mentioned in the FIR initially, despite his previous conflicts with Sarita. “It was only after receiving the suicide note that he was named as an accused. Hence, with no evidence pointing to his involvement in the case, we seek anticipatory bail,” Soneji told the Kalyan Sessions Court.

Advocate Sarita Khanchandani, a well-known environmental activist, died by suicide on August 28 in Ulhasnagar. Police later recovered a suicide note from her office naming Dhananjay Bodare, Giya Gopalani, Ulhas Falke, Shivani Falke, and Raj Chandwani as allegedly responsible for driving her to end her life.

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