The Beed special court has rejected Vishnu Chate’s plea for discharge in the murder of sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh, stating he “appears to have been a member of the organised crime syndicate and was involved in continuing unlawful activities.” Chate had claimed insufficient grounds for charges, but the court found prima facie evidence against him.
Mumbai: A special court in Beed, Maharashtra, has rejected the discharge plea of Vishnu Chate, who is accused in the brutal murder of sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh. The court stated that Chate “appears to have been a member of the organised crime syndicate and was involved in continuing unlawful activities.”
Earlier this month, Special MCOCA Judge V H Patwadkar had dismissed Chate’s discharge application. In its latest order, the court observed that
“prima facie, there are sufficient grounds to proceed against the accused.”
Deshmukh, the sarpanch of Massajog village in Beed district, was abducted and tortured to death on December 9 last year. Police said the murder happened after Deshmukh tried to stop an extortion attempt targeting an energy company.
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Eight people, including Walmik Karad, a close aide of former Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Dhananjay Munde, were arrested under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, and the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Chate had moved the court seeking discharge, claiming that there were no sufficient grounds to frame charges against him. He argued that he was not involved in the abduction, assault, or murder of Deshmukh.
The accused also contended that the conditions to invoke the MCOCA were not met in his case since he was never part of the organised crime syndicate. Chate further claimed that his name was added to the case later based on supplementary statements and alleged political pressure.
According to the police, Karad and his co-accused conspired to demand a ransom of Rs 2 crore from Avaada Energy Private Ltd. in exchange for letting them operate their business in Kaij taluka, and they allegedly threatened to stop their work if the demand was not met.
When Deshmukh intervened to stop the extortion, the accused allegedly kidnapped him and fatally assaulted him, leading to his death. The police added that the accused then dumped Deshmukh’s body at Daithana Phata before fleeing the scene.
Special Public Prosecutor Ujwal Nikkam, representing the state, argued that there was enough evidence to proceed against Chate and to frame charges.
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The court, after hearing both sides, stated that the accused
“allegedly destroyed his mobile phone after the incident, which shows his complicity and nexus”
in the offences. The court further observed that Chate
“appears to have intentionally aided the co-accused persons in the crime.”
Concluding its order, the court held,
“Therefore, prima facie, there are sufficient grounds to proceed against the applicant/accused, and hence, he is not entitled to be discharged.”
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