Defence rejects evidence submitted by prosecution in Narendra Dabholkar murder case

The defence in the Narendra Dabholkar murder case refused to admit the list of 13 documents submitted by the prosecution on Wednesday. The Central Bureau of investigation had submitted a list of 13 documents considered evidence last week. This includes 'spot panchnama', 'inquest panchnama', seizure of cloths and articles of Dabholkar, and various other documents.

The prosecution submitted a list of documents to Additional Sessions Judge SR Navandar, the special judge for UAPA cases, as charges have been framed in the 2013 murder case of Dabholkar. The rationalist and head of anti-superstition outfit Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti was shot dead on August 20, 2013, in Pune, allegedly by right-wing extremists.

Suvarna Avhad, the defence counsel, said they refused to admit the documents submitted. "We moved an application before the court stating that the defence rejects all the documents submitted by the prosecution. We told the court that we will be contesting the documents during the trial," she said.

CBI special public prosecutor Prakash Suryawanshi claimed that the defence had rejected all the documents. "They are not admitting anything. In normal cases, the documents like a spot panchnama, inquest panchnama are generally admitted by the defence but in the present case it is their choice whether to accept it or not," he said.

"I will prove these documents by examining my witnesses. I will submit a list of documents and witnesses and will start with the examination," he said.

Meanwhile, the defence has also moved a plea before the court regarding an article in a Marathi daily that Avhad claims was published with 'malafide intention'. The plea seeks to issue a contempt of court notice against the author, editor and the publication. The author claims that the court before which the trial is undergoing is conducting an unauthorised trial as the case involves sections under the UAPA, the defence claimed.

Though the murder case was earlier with the Pune police, it was then taken over by the CBI. They arrested Virendra Sinh Tawde, Sachin Andure, Sharad Kalaskar, Sanjeev Punalekar and Vikram Bhave in the case. Tawde, Andure, Kalaskar and Bhave have been charged under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 302 (Punishment for murder), 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy), 34 (common intention), the Arms Act and section 16 of the stringent UAPA (punishment for terrorist act). Punalekar has been charged under IPC section 201 (causing disappearance of evidence or giving false information to screen offender).