Over seven years after the killing of activist Govind
Pansare, the Bombay High Court on Wednesday transferred the probe into the case
to Maharashtra's Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS). A Special Investigation Team (SIT)
of the Maharashtra Criminal Investigation Department (CID) was investigating
the case till now.
A division bench of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Sharmila Deshmukh said it was
allowing the application filed by Pansare's family members and transferring the
probe to the ATS.
The SIT was constituted in 2015 following a Bombay High Court
order passed on a plea filed by Pansare's family members seeking such a special
team.
Pansare was shot at on February 16, 2015 in Kolhapur and
succumbed to his injuries a few days later on February 20.
The CID was probing the case and had arrested a few people.
The activist's family members last month filed an application
in the high court seeking for the probe to be transferred to the ATS claiming
that the SIT has not been able to make a breakthrough in the case yet.
Senior counsel Ashok Mundargi, appearing for the SIT, told
the court that it does not have any objection if the probe is transferred to
the ATS, as that too is a state government agency.
"We are agreeable. The ATS can be appointed and for
continuation, a few officers from the SIT shall assist the ATS," Mundargi
said.
When the court questioned as to which senior officer would be
heading the probe, Mundargi said Additional Director General (ADG) was the
senior most officer of the ATS and he would supervise the probe.
Advocate Abhay Nevagi, appearing for Pansare's family told
the court that the masterminds behind the killing and the shooters are still
unidentified and at large.
"According to the SIT, there are around 40 more persons
in the hitlist of the people behind Pansare's killing. This includes his family
members, the family of slain rationalist Narendra Dabholkar and Medha Patkar.
We only want the masterminds to be nabbed," Nevagi said.
The court on Wednesday also refused to consider applications
filed by three accused, arrested in the Dabholkar and Pansare killing case,
opposing the probe to be transferred to another agency at this stage.
Both Mundargi and Nevagi opposed the application arguing that
the accused persons have no say on which agency should be probing the case.
…………………….