Mumbai, August 7, 2026: The special MCOCA court has refused to grant bail to Anand Kale, one of the alleged assailants involved in the murder of NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) leader Sachin Kurmi, 43. The court said there was sufficient evidence against him.
Kurmi was stabbed to death by masked assailants on October 5, 2024, during a post-dinner walk. The police have named his former friend turned rival, Dilip Waghaskar, as the key conspirator behind the murder and alleged that he hired a gang to eliminate Kurmi.
Prosecution Alleges Planned Murder
The prosecution claimed that Kurmi and Waghaskar were initially on friendly terms. The deceased was engaged as a subcontractor for maintenance of municipal gardens in Byculla.
Subsequently, disputes arose between them over financial transactions, political rivalry, and alleged illegal business activities. Waghaskar allegedly later approached Kale, Vijay Kakade, and Praful Patkar to eliminate Kurmi.
Kale’s lawyer sought bail, claiming that there was no evidence to show that the applicant was involved in the conspiracy to murder the deceased. He argued that Kale had been implicated only because of previous enmity and that there was no legally admissible material connecting him with the commission of the offence.
CCTV Evidence Cited
The plea was opposed by public prosecutor Jaising Desai and advocate Nitin Sejpal, who represented Kurmi’s family. They contended that there was overwhelming material collected during the investigation establishing the complicity of the applicant in the commission of the offence.
According to Sejpal, CCTV footage establishes the presence of Kale along with Kakade and Patkar immediately before and immediately after the incident.
It was further submitted that all three accused were allegedly armed with deadly weapons used in committing the murder. The prosecution argued that Kale had a strong motive, along with the co-accused, to eliminate Kurmi.
Court Rejects Bail Plea
The court observed that the evidence collected so far prima facie indicated active participation of the applicant in the commission of the offence. It said that, at this stage, it could not hold that the accusations were inherently improbable or unsupported by the material collected during the investigation.
Also Watch:
“The applicant is alleged to be one of the principal assailants who executed a pre-planned murder in furtherance of the activities of an organised crime syndicate. Having regard to the gravity of the allegations and the material collected during investigation, the period of custody undergone by the applicant cannot, by itself, constitute a ground for grant of bail,” the court said while rejecting Kale’s bail application.
To get details on exclusive and budget-friendly property deals in Mumbai & surrounding regions, do visit: https://budgetproperties.in/
