Sarpanch murder case: HC rejects bail plea of prime accused Walmik Karad

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Dec 17 (PTI) The Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court on Wednesday rejected the bail application of Walmik Karad, the prime accused in sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh murder case.

Karad is currently lodged in a jail in Beed district.

His lawyer Dhananjay Patil said the HC rejected Karad's bail application, but its detailed order is yet to come.

"Hearing on Walmik Karad's bail application was on for the last three-four days. Today, advocates from the applicant's side highlighted before the court issues like non-availability of CDR (call detail records) and argued that he was not directly involved in the case. But the court rejected his bail plea," he said.

Deshmukh, the sarpanch of Massajog village in Beed district, was abducted and tortured to death on December 9 last year allegedly for attempting to stop an extortion bid targeting an energy company.

Eight persons, including Karad, have been arrested so far and booked under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).

Expressing satisfaction over the HC rejecting Karad's bail plea, Dhananjay Deshmukh, the brother of late sarpanch, said, "Today we can say that the process to get justice in this case has now begun." He also expressed the possibility of NCP leader Dhananjay Munde being inducted into the state cabinet again, and opposed the idea.

Munde had resigned as a minister in March this year after Karad, his close aide, surrendered and was later arrested in the case. PTI AW NP