Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Monday expressed its “displeasure and unhappiness” over the reports submitted by the Special Investigation Team (SIT), which is probing the killing of comrade Govind Pansare. The HC said that things are not moving at the pace it should.
A bench of Justices Satyaranjan Dharmadhikari and Gautam Patel pulled up the SIT for not taking any “independent steps” and only relying upon the probe of other agencies, which are dealing with the killings of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar and journalist Gauri Lankesh.
The observations were made after the bench perused the progress report submitted by the SIT. “You (SIT) have miserably failed in listing any independent steps, taken to probe the case, in this report.
All that this report shows that you are only relying on the progress made in the probe of other killings,” the judges said. “We must convey our unhappiness and displeasure over this report. We think the things are not moving (properly),” the judges added.
The bench further said it is refraining to pass any critical order against the investigating officer of the case only because of the prevailing conditions of continuous rains in Kolhapur. “But we hope the SIT will submit a better and comprehensive report next time,” the judges added.
Meanwhile, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) also filed a separate report spelling out the progress it made in the probe of the killing of Dabholkar. The CBI through additional solicitor general Anil Singh urged the bench to grant at least four weeks time to trace out the weapons used in the crime.
“We would require an additional of four weeks time to trace the weapons which are disposed in the Thane creek,” ASG Singh told the judges. The bench, having heard the request, accepted the same and adjourned the matter accordingly for further hearing.
The judges were seized with petitions filed by the kin of Pansare and Dabholkar seeking a court-monitored probe in their killings.
