Bombay High Court Intervenes in Decade-Old Pune Murder Case
In a significant development, the Bombay High Court has suspended the life imprisonment sentences of two convicts involved in the 2014 murder of Mathadi Kamgar Sanghatana leader Prakash Laxman Chavan in Pune's Chinchwad area. The court has granted them bail while their criminal appeal against the conviction is pending.
Background of the Case and Trial Court Verdict
The case dates back to the killing of union leader Prakash Laxman Chavan. After a lengthy legal process, a Pune sessions court delivered its verdict on November 16, 2024. The court convicted and sentenced six accused individuals to life imprisonment.
Among those convicted were Amol Narayan Shinde and Prakashsing Chandrasing Bais. Following the verdict, this duo, represented by their lawyers Satyam Nimbalkar and Harshad Milind Pawar, filed an appeal in the Bombay High Court challenging their conviction and sentence.
High Court's Reasoning for Bail and Sentence Suspension
A bench comprising Justice AS Gadkari and Justice Ranjitsinha Raja Bhonsale heard the plea. On December 4, the bench made key observations regarding the time the appellants had already spent behind bars.
The court noted that Amol Shinde had undergone 10 years, 2 months, and 9 days of imprisonment. Prakashsing Bais had spent 10 years, 4 months, and 16 days in jail. This duration included both pre-trial and post-trial incarceration.
The bench pointed out that due to the significant backlog of cases, the chances of the appeals being heard in the near future were remote. Relying on precedents set by the Supreme Court in the Suleman v State of Uttar Pradesh and Saudan Singh v State of Uttar Pradesh cases, the High Court held that the applicants were entitled to bail during the pendency of their appeal.
Bail Conditions and Court Directives
The High Court bench formally suspended the substantive sentence of imprisonment imposed by the trial court. It ordered the release of Shinde and Bais on bail upon furnishing a Personal Recognizance (PR) bond of Rs 50,000 each with one or two local sureties.
However, the bail comes with strict conditions. The court directed the two men to report to the Nigdi police station regularly. For the first year, they must present themselves on the first Monday of every month. Subsequently, the requirement relaxes to reporting on the first Monday of every three months. This condition will remain in effect until their criminal appeal is finally decided by the court.
The decision highlights the judicial principle of considering prolonged incarceration during appeal delays, especially when the hearing is not imminent. The case will continue as the High Court prepares to hear the substantive criminal appeal filed by the convicts against their life sentence.
