Special court to frame charges against accused on Dec 19 in sarpanch Deshmukh murder case

Beed, Dec 12 (PTI) A year after village sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh was kidnapped and later murdered, a special court in Maharashtra's Beed district on Friday deferred framing of charges against accused by a week following a request from the defence.

The court set up under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) fixed December 19 for framing of charges against the accused, an exercise earlier scheduled for December 12, after hearing arguments from both sides.

Following a request for an adjournment by the defence counsel, special MCOCA court Judge P V Patwadkar announced the new date for the crucial exercise which will pave the way for trial in a case which triggered nationwide outrage given the sheer brutality of the kidnapping-murder incident.

The hearing for the case is underway in the special court and the process of framing of charges against the main accused, Walmik Karad, and his co-accused had been pending for the last few months.

The court had explicitly stated during the previous hearing that the charges would be framed on December 12.

However, on Friday, the accused's lawyers once again requested an adjournment, claiming they had not received a copy of the new evidence submitted by the prosecution.

This demand was strongly opposed by Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam and Assistant Public Prosecutor Balasaheb Kolhe.

The prosecution accused the defence of intentionally delaying the case. The defence, in turn, argued that the process was becoming complicated due to the prosecution adding new evidence in phases since the beginning, stating that arguing without receiving the copies was impossible.

After arguments that lasted for nearly an hour, the court set the new date for framing of charges.

Deshmukh, sarpanch of Massajog village, was abducted, tortured and murdered on December 9 last year for opposing an extortion bid on a private firm helming a windmill project in Beed district.

The case later acquired political colours and NCP minister Dhananjay Munde, an MLA from Beed district, resigned from the cabinet in March, days after his close aide Karad was named as the mastermind in the murder case.

A total of eight accused have been arrested in the case. PTI COR RSY