The Bombay High Court on Wednesday, April 29, granted bail to Sharad Kalaskar (33), convicted in May 2024 for the 2013 murder of rationalist and anti-superstition activist Narendra Dabholkar. Kalaskar had filed an appeal against his conviction by the Pune trial court and sought bail pending its disposal.
Justices AS Gadkari and RR Bhonsale granted the bail set at a bond of Rs 50,000, noting that the likelihood of the appeal being heard for final disposal any time soon was remote. The bench also cast doubt on the evidence, saying Kalaskar's identification was improper and had lost its sanctity, with testimony from two eyewitnesses creating further doubt.
Kalaskar’s links to the broader conspiracy extend to the 2017 murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh as well. According to the Karnataka police’s chargesheet, Kalaskar was part of the same organised syndicate, alleged members of Sanatan Sanstha, that plotted Gauri’s killing. He allegedly attended weapons training camps alongside the key accused, personally trained the shooters in using pistols days before the murder, and later disposed of the guns used to kill Lankesh by throwing them into the Ullas river near Thane.
He is currently an accused in that case as well, which is pending trial.
Kalaskar's senior counsel, Niteen Pradhan, had challenged the validity of the identification process, which relied on a photograph shown to witnesses. The state and the CBI both opposed the bail plea, arguing that two witnesses had seen the shooting. The High Court had reserved the bail plea for orders on December 23, 2025.
In its May 2024 judgement, a Special UAPA Court in Pune had convicted Kalaskar and co-accused Sachin Andure as the assailants and sentenced them to life imprisonment, while acquitting ENT surgeon Dr Virendrasinh Tawade, Mumbai-based lawyer Sanjeev Punalekar, and his aide Vikram Bhave for lack of evidence.
All five accused were alleged to have links with the Sanatan Sanstha.
Dabholkar, 67, was shot dead by two motorcycle-borne assailants on the VR Shinde bridge in Pune on the morning of August 20, 2013. The case was initially probed by Pune City Police before being handed to the CBI in June 2014.
A day after the bail order, Dabholkar's son, Dr Hamid, called the development "very disappointing" and confirmed the family would challenge it in the Supreme Court. He also pointed out that the CBI is yet to challenge the acquittal of Tawade, Punalekar, and Bhave. "We as Dabholkars are going to approach the Supreme Court, because CBI has not yet appealed the acquittal," he said.
Hamid also underscored the broader context, saying the murders of Dabholkar, Govind Pansare, MM Kalburgi, and Gauri Lankesh were interconnected, with the mastermind yet to be arrested. "Till the time all the perpetrators are brought to justice and the masterminds are behind bars, the threat to rationalist thought remains," he said.
This story was written by a student interning with TNM.