The Bombay High Court has granted bail to Sharad Kalaskar, one of the convicts in the murder of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar, while suspending his life sentence pending appeal.
Kalaskar was convicted by a Pune sessions court in 2024 along with co-accused Sachin Andure for the 2013 killing of Dabholkar, who was shot dead in Pune. He had been serving a life sentence before approaching the High Court.
A division bench of the High Court, while allowing his bail plea, raised concerns over the prosecution’s case. The court observed prima facie inconsistencies in eyewitness testimonies and questioned the reliability of the identification process used to link Kalaskar to the crime.
The judges also noted that proper identification procedures were not followed, and doubts remained regarding Kalaskar’s role as one of the assailants. Based on these observations, the court decided to grant bail during the pendency of his appeal.
The prosecution opposed the plea and sought a stay on the bail order, but the court rejected the request.
Kalaskar will remain on bail until the High Court delivers a final verdict on his appeal against conviction.
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