Court monitoring of probe into Govind Pansare murder case no longer necessary: Bombay HC
Mumbai, Jan 2: The Bombay High Court on Thursday discontinued the court monitoring of the probe in the 2015 murder of rationalist and author Govind Pansare, stating that it was no longer necessary.
It, however, directed the sessions court in Kolhapur to expedite hearing in the case and conduct it on a daily basis.
A division bench of Justices A S Gadkari and Kamal Khata decided to stop the monitoring of the probe, noting that the report submitted by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) indicates that the case has been probed from all angles.
As per the probe agency's report, except the arrest of two absconding accused, nothing further remains to be investigated.
It is thus clear that the only aspect remained to be investigated is tracing of the two absconding accused, the court said.
"According to us, only for the purpose of arrest of the absconding accused, continuous monitoring of the further investigation by this court under Article 226 of the Constitution of India is not necessary," the bench held.
It stated that after the accused persons are arrested, the investigating agency can report it to the trial court.
The court disposed of the plea filed by an accused against the high court's continued monitoring of the case.
Govind Pansare and his wife Uma were shot in Kolhapur city on February 15, 2015, while on a morning walk. He succumbed to his injuries five days later.
The investigation was initially conducted by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Crime Investigation Department (CID), but later transferred to the ATS in 2022.
The high court has been monitoring the probe in the case since 2016 with investigation agencies regularly submitting reports with respect to progress in the probe.
On the point raised by the victim's family about delay in trial, the court noted that it has already commenced and as on December 16, 2024, the prosecution has examined 28 witnesses.
The bench directed the trial court to expedite the hearing of the case and conduct it on a daily basis.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Bihar: Over 150 children fall ill after consuming 'mid-day meal' in Saharsa
Saharsa (PTI): More than 150 children were taken ill after allegedly consuming food that was part of the mid-day meal in a school in Bihar’s Saharsa district, a senior official said on Thursday.
The incident occurred at a middle school in Baluaha village of the district.
The official said that 115 children were undergoing treatment at the Sadar Hospital, while around 50 students were admitted to Mahishi Public Health Centre.
“We received information that several children fell ill after consuming the mid-day meal in Baluaha. The children were initially treated at the primary health centre, but later, many were referred to the Sadar Hospital,” Saharsa District Magistrate Deepesh Kumar told reporters.
“According to doctors, the health condition of the children has improved, but they will be kept under observation for some time. There is no need to panic. Some kids are having mild fever. They are being treated accordingly,” Kumar said.
Meanwhile, family members of some children claimed that a snake was found in the container in which cooked pulses was stored at the school.
Of the 545 students present in the school, 200 had already eaten their meals by the time the snake was spotted, and later complained of stomach ache and vomiting, they said.
Regarding the claims, the DM said food samples have been collected from the school.
“We will be able to comment on this only after the results of the tested samples arrive,” he said.
