Bombay HC grants bail to 3 accused in Govind Pansare homicide case

The Kolhapur Bench of the Bombay High Court on Tuesday (October 14, 2025) granted bail to 3 males accused within the 2015 killing of rationalist and creator Govind Pansare, together with alleged mastermind Dr. Virendrasinh Tawade. Justice S.G. Dige additionally prolonged bail to Amol Kale and Sharad Kalaskar. Order of the judgement is awaited.

While Tawade and Kale are anticipated to stroll free, Kalaskar will stay in custody as he’s already serving a sentence for his function within the 2013 homicide of activist Narendra Dabholkar.

His enchantment in opposition to that conviction is pending earlier than the High Court. Justice Dige stated the detailed reasoning for granting bail could be issued later and declined a request from Pansare’s household to remain the order.

Pansare, a distinguished leftist thinker and creator of ‘Who Was Shivaji?’, was shot on February 16, 2015, whereas getting back from a morning stroll along with his spouse in Kolhapur’s Samrat Nagar space. Two unidentified assailants on a bike opened fireplace, critically injuring him. He succumbed to his accidents 4 days later, sparking outrage throughout Maharashtra and past.

The investigation into his killing has been marked by delays and a number of transfers. Initially dealt with by the native Rajarampuri police, the case was later taken over by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) and finally transferred to the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) in 2022 after the High Court expressed dissatisfaction over the dearth of progress.

So far, 12 people have been named within the case, of whom 9 have been arrested. Two suspected shooters stay absconding. Four supplementary chargesheets have been filed, however the trial has moved at a sluggish tempo. Earlier this yr, six different accused have been granted bail on the grounds of extended incarceration and the unlikelihood of the trial concluding quickly.

The prosecution has maintained that Pansare’s killing is a component of a bigger conspiracy focusing on rationalists and progressive voices, linking it to the murders of Dabholkar, scholar M.M. Kalburgi, and journalist Gauri Lankesh. Pansare’s household has persistently opposed bail for the accused, arguing that their launch may hamper the trial.