HC directs CBI, CID to trace absconders

The Bombay high court Thursday directed the CBI and the Maharashtra Crime Investigation Department (CID) to take concrete steps to trace the absconding persons wanted in connection with the killings of rationalists Narendra Dabholkar and Govind Pansare.

A bench of Justices SC Dharmadhikari and Bharati Dangre said since the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the CID had dedicated teams to probe the killings of Dabholkar and Pansare respectively, they must make major headway in the cases in a time-bound manner.

The directions came after both the probe agencies submitted their respective progress reports in sealed covers before the bench.

The CBI is handling the Dabholkar case, while the CID is probing Pansare’s killing.

Additional solicitor general Anil Singh, who appeared for the CBI, told the bench that the agency was waiting for a prior sanction from the state government to prosecute some persons in the case under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act .

He said waiting for the sanction was one of the reasons for some delay in the CBI probe.

CID counsel Ashok Mundargi told the bench the state agency had secured the custody of Amol Kale, one of the alleged key conspirators in the murders of antisuperstition activist Dabholkar and journalist Gauri Lankesh, on November15thisyear.Mundargi said Kale is also an accused in the Pansare case .

The bench said while Kale’s custody was one positive step, the authorities must also make more effort towards tracing the other absconding accused persons.

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