Beed: A special court in Beed has rejected the bail plea of an accused in the brutal murder of former Massajog sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh, ruling that educational qualifications and good academic scores cannot be grounds for bail in a serious criminal case.
The accused, Jairam Chate, had approached the court seeking bail by highlighting his academic record, which included a BSc degree in Computer Science and high scores in his Class 10 and 12 board examinations.
Dismissing the argument, Special Judge Jayshri Pulate observed in the order that "educational qualification and scoring good marks can by no stretch of imagination be held as a ground to enlarge the applicant on bail," especially in view of the applicant's criminal antecedents.
As reported earlier, Deshmukh was abducted and brutally murdered on December 9, 2024.
Investigators said Deshmukh was targeted because he tried to stop a gang from extorting money from an energy company operating in the area. The brutal killing triggered widespread public outrage and protests across Maharashtra.
Chate is one of seven people arrested in connection with the case. The accused have been booked under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, and relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
While Chate's counsel argued that he had been falsely implicated, had no links with any gang, and did not derive any financial benefit from the crime, the prosecution presented a different picture.
According to the police, the attackers filmed the entire assault on their mobile phones with the intention of circulating the videos on social media to instil fear among the public. The prosecution alleged that Chate was actively involved from the beginning. The court noted that in one of the videos, Chate is allegedly seen holding the victim's shirt, stripping him, laughing loudly, and participating in the fatal assault.
Eyewitness statements also prima facie established Chate's active role in the organised crime syndicate allegedly led by co-accused Walmik Karad.
Citing Chate's criminal antecedents and the gravity of the offence, the court rejected the bail plea, observing that the attack was intended to terrorise society and that the applicant was not entitled to bail.
