Court refuses further custody of two accused to CBI in in Dabholkar case

A court in Pune rejected Monday the Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) request to extend the custody of two accused, Rajesh Bangera and Amit Digwekar, in the rationalist Narendra Dabholkar murder case.

The court agreed to extend the CBI custody of Sharad Kalaskar, one of the two alleged assailants who shot Dabholkar dead in Pune on August 20, 2013.

The trio was produced in the court after their earlier CBI custody got over.

Seeking extension of their custody, the CBI lawyer told the court that Bangera imparted firearms training to members of the right wing organisations at six places in Maharashtra and Karnataka.

The training was arranged by Virendra Sinh Tawde (who is chargesheeted in the Dabholkar case) and Amol Kale, another accused in the case, it said.

Digwekar, a permanent resident at the headquarters of the conservative Hindu organisation Sanatan Sanstha at Ponda in Goa, was closely associated with Tawde and Kale, so his interrogation is needed to get more information, the CBI said.

However, Judicial Magistrate (First Class) SMA Sayyad sent Bangera and Digwekar in judicial custody.

As the duo was originally arrested in journalist the Gauri Lankesh murder case, the CBI will have to hand them over back to the Karnataka Police before September 17.

The judge granted the CBI further custody of Kalaskar till September 15.

The agency said it needs to trace the motorcycle used by Kalaskar and the alleged second shooter, Sachin Andure, when they killed Dabholkar, and also the weapons used by the duo, so further interrogation is necessary.

Andure was earlier sent in judicial custody after his CBI remand ended.

The CBI has claimed that Bangera, Digwekar and Kale, arrested by the Karnataka police in the Gauri Lankesh case, were also involved in the Dabholkar murder conspiracy.