HC rejects accused’s bail, says Umesh Kolhe murder was meant to instil fear

The High Court on Tuesday expressed its strong opinion that the murder of Amravati-based drug dealer Umesh Kolhe in 2022 was done with the intention of creating fear in the minds of the public. Also, one of the accused in this case was refused bail. Kolhe was allegedly murdered in Amravati in June 2022 for forwarding a social media post that supported the allegedly objectionable remarks made by former BJP member Nupur Sharma about Prophet Muhammad.

Such crimes affect the very core of society and the conscience. The bench of Justice Ajay Gadkari and Justice Shyam Chandak also expressed the view that the society becomes insecure and is forced to live in constant fear. Veterinary doctor Yusuf Khan, an accused in this case, had approached the High Court seeking bail.

However, the court rejected Yusuf's petition, stating that there was documentary evidence of the alleged crime committed against him.

We are of the opinion that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the allegations against Yusuf are true on the face of it. To avenge Kolhe's alleged insult to their religion, the accused had formed a terrorist gang under the leadership of the main accused. The court stated in its order that, prima facie, it appears that by brutally murdering Kolhe, the accused attempted to instill fear in the minds of the general public, irrespective of whether Kolhe had supported Sharma’s remarks or not. The court also observed that the alleged offence is undoubtedly serious and heinous in nature.

Further, after arriving at this prima facie conclusion, the court noted that it was not inclined to exercise its discretion to grant bail in favour of Yusuf, while rejecting his plea. According to Yusuf’s petition, he was not involved in the murder and had merely asked other doctors not to purchase medicines from Kolhe’s shop.