HC Questions CID on 17-Year Delay in Solving Navi Mumbai Councillor’s Murder

Seventeen years after the murder of Congress corporator Anand Kale in Navi Mumbai, his son has approached the High Court claiming that despite more than 20 investigating officers handling the case, the police have failed to identify the killers. Taking note of the petition, the High Court asked the Pune Crime Investigation Department’s (CID) flying squad handling the case for the past seven years to explain what investigation has been carried out so far. The court also directed the CID to submit details of all officers involved in the probe over these seven years along with the work done by each.

The petition, filed by Kale’s son Pradeep, states that in 17 years, the police have neither arrested the assailants nor uncovered the motive behind the murder. He has also requested that the investigation be transferred to an independent agency. During the hearing, the bench of Justice Ajay Gadkari and Justice Ranjit Bhosale questioned the effectiveness of the police investigation and issued the above directions.

Earlier, Navi Mumbai Police had investigated the case but submitted a summary report to the lower court stating that although a crime had occurred, the motive could not be established. Additional Public Prosecutors informed the High Court that no clues regarding suspects or their identities had been found, and no evidence was available to justify proceeding against any accused. However, after the petitioner challenged this report in the lower court, the magistrate rejected it. The investigation was then transferred to the Pune CID’s flying squad, which has been in charge for seven years. The petitioner’s lawyer told the court that despite this, Pune police had made no progress. Instead, when Pradeep visited the CID office, an officer there allegedly told him that he was receiving calls from politicians.

What Happened?
On April 21, 2008, Congress corporator Anand Kale was shot dead in Navi Mumbai’s Airoli area. Kale, who had been elected for the first time from Airoli’s Ward 11, was attacked by two unidentified assailants who fired at him outside the fish market while he was walking towards his office after parking his car.