One who hatches murder conspiracy is prime accused: HC

Observing that a person who hatched a conspiracy to murder someone is the prime accused, the Bombay High Court refused to grant bail to the son of a former Maharashtra minister arrested in the 2009 murder of noted wrestler Sanjay Patil.
Justice U V Bakre recently rejected the bail plea of Udaysinh Patil, son of former state law minister Vilasrao Patil, arrested for hatching the conspiracy to murder Sanjay Patil over political rivalry.
Udaysinh had sought bail on the ground that several co-accused in the case have been released on bail.
However, the High Court refused to accept this and said, "The applicant is the main accused. Prima facie, if he had not wanted that Sanjay Patil should be killed, then there would not have been the incident of shooting Sanjay to death. Being an influential politician, from an influential family, there is force in the apprehension of the prosecution that if the applicant is released on bail, he would tamper with the evidence and the witnesses would not come forward to depose against him."

Sanjay Patil, winner of Maharashtra Kesari title, was shot dead at a market in Karad (Satara district) by two assailants on January 15, 2009.
According to prosecution, Udaysinh had paid a 'supari' (contract killing sum) to another accused to murder Sanjay as he had in 2008 fought in the Karad Agriculture Market Committee's elections against Udaysinh's father, and won.