Narendra Dabholkar Murder Case: Intervention by Supreme Court in Bombay HC's Oversight Declined

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday declined to direct the Bombay High Court to continue monitoring the probe and trial in connection with the murder case of rationalist, Narendra Dabholkar.

A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Satish Chandra Sharma rejected a plea by Mukta Dabholkar and others, who challenged a Bombay High Court order of April, 2023, wherein it decided not to continue monitoring the progress on the case.

The bench said it is not inclined to interfere in the matter.

However, the bench granted liberty to the petitioners to provide any material that may be useful for the progress of the case.

A counsel, representing the petitioners, submitted that the high court had stopped monitoring the case with regard to the larger conspiracy angle.

Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, for the CBI, submitted that the cross examination of witnesses in the trial was ongoing.

She said that the investigating agency would not abandon the case and the trial was reaching its conclusion.

In September 2021, the trial commenced after charges were framed against all five accused. The CBI had filed a chargesheet against five persons accused in the murder case. The high court, since August 2015, has been monitoring the investigation.

Dabholkar, the founder and head of the Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti, an anti-superstition outfit, was shot dead in August 2013.

On Friday, the court had rejected an appeal filed by Mukta challenging the bail granted by the Bombay High Court to an accused in the case.

She challenged the May 6, 2021 order of the Bombay HC which had granted bail to Vikram Bhave.

The petitioner had claimed that this is a serious case where during forensic examination one of the witnesses said the accused was involved and sought dismissal of the bail of one of the accused, Vikram Bhave in the case.