Nimbalkar appointed as special prosecutor in Pansare case

Says he will ensure that the lone accused arrested in the murder case, Sameer Gaikwad, does not get bail

Noted criminal defence lawyer Harshad Nimbalkar today said he had been appointed as the special public prosecutor in the communist leader Govind Pansare murder case.

Pansare and his wife were shot by motorcycle-borne youths outside their house in Kolhapur on February 16, 2015. While his wife survived, Pansare, 82, died a few days later.

"Since it is a sensitive case, I gave my consent to the state government and yesterday they formally appointed me as the special public prosecutor," said advocate Nimbalkar here.

The lone arrested accused in the case Sameer Gaikwad, a former disciple of the conservative right-wing organisation Sanatan Sanstha, has sought bail from the Kolhapur sessions court, he said.

"Hearing on the bail application is on January 25. I would make sure that Gaikwad does not get bail," he said.

"We have circumstantial evidence against Gaikwad and on that basis I will argue in the court," he said.

Pansare was a rationalist and a known critic of the right-wing outfits in the state. Earlier, in August 2013, anti-superstition activist Dr Narendra Dabholkar was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Pune.