Bombay HC Grants Bail To Sharad Kalaskar In Narendra Dabholkar Murder Case

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Wednesday granted  bail to Sharadh Kalaskar in the murder case of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar. He sought bail pending hearing in his appeal against conviction.  

A bench of Justices Ajey Gadkari and RR Bhonsale granted him bail. The detailed order copy will be available later. 

Also Watch:

Dabholkar, 67, the founder of the Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti, an anti-superstition organisation, was shot dead by two motorcycle-borne assailants while on a morning walk in Pune on August 20, 2013. He was shot by persons allegedly linked to the radical outfit Sanatan Sanstha.

Initially, the case was probed by the Deccan police station, Pune. Following a petition by his daughter Mukta Dabholkar, the investigation was transferred to the CBI in 2014.  

On May 10, 2024, the Sessions Court convicted Sachin Andure and Sharad Kalaskar for Dabholkar’s murder, sentencing them to life in prison. However, they were acquitted of charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Arms Act. The court also acquitted Virendra Singh Tawde, Sanjiv Punalekar, and Vikram Bhave, citing insufficient evidence.  

Kalaskar challenged his conviction before the high court. Pending hearing in his appeal, he sought bail through advocate Shubhada Khot. 

Mukta Dabholkar too filed an appeal before the High Court, challenging the acquittals and the exclusion of UAPA charges against Andure and Kalaskar. Her plea claimed the murder was part of a larger conspiracy by right-wing group members, including Sanatan Sanstha. It alleged the Sessions Court failed to appreciate evidence showing the accused were involved in the conspiracy to silence Dabholkar for opposing such organizations. Even the three acquitted accused are associated with the outfit too, the plea contended.   

In October 2025, the Kolhapur circuit bench of the High Court had granted bail to Kalaskar and two others – Virendrasingh Tawade and Amol Kale – in the murder case of Communist Party of India (CPI) leader Govind Pansar in 2015.

Dabholkar’s murder was the first in a chain of similar killings of three other rationalists and activists – Govind Pansare in Kolhapur in February 2015, Kannada-language scholar MM Kalburgi in Dharwad in August 2015, and journalist Gauri Lankesh in Bengaluru in September 2017.

To get details on exclusive and budget-friendly property deals in Mumbai & surrounding regions, do visit: https://budgetproperties.in/