Beed: The murder of Massajog sarpanch in Kaij tehsil, Santosh Deshmukh, allegedly carried out for obstructing an extortion racket, has formally moved into the trial stage with a special MCOCA court in Beed framing charges against the accused on Tuesday.
Charges have been framed against Walmik Karad, Vishnu Chate, Sudarshan Ghule, Pratik Ghule, Sudhir Sangale, Mahesh Kedar, Jairam Chate and Krushna Andhale. Krushna Andhale has been absconding since murdering Santosh Deshmukh. While the remaining accused are currently in judicial custody.
The brutal killing of Deshmukh had triggered widespread public outrage across Maharashtra. Videos and photographs related to the assault, which surfaced on social media, further intensified public anger and raised serious questions about law and order in Beed district.
Following the incident, protests were held at several places in the district and across the state. In the aftermath, the deputy chief minister, Ajit Pawar, assumed charge as the guardian minister of Beed district.
During Tuesday's hearing, the special MCOCA court read out the detailed sequence of events and charges against each accused. The court then asked each of them whether they accepted the charges.
All the accused, including Walmik Karad, pleaded not guilty. Notably, Karad spoke in court for the first time during the proceedings, clearly stating that he did not accept the charges. He had remained silent during earlier hearings.
The accused were produced before the court via video conferencing amid tight police security. Senior advocates representing the accused were present, while the prosecution was led by Special Public Prosecutor Adv. Ujjwal Nikam and Assistant Public Prosecutor Adv. Balasaheb Kolhe.
Speaking to the media after the hearing, Special Public Prosecutor Adv. Ujjwal Nikam said the investigation had clearly established that Santosh Deshmukh was murdered because he had become an obstacle in the collection of extortion money.
Adv. Nikam alleged that defence lawyers attempted to delay and derail the proceedings, but the court recognised the tactics and passed appropriate orders. He added that the presentation of evidence would begin shortly and assured that all efforts were being made to ensure a speedy trial, whether in a fast-track court or otherwise.
The next hearing in the case has been scheduled for January 8, 2026.
