Family of slain Thane Sena (UBT) leader Pradeep Purnekar moves High Court, questions SIT probe

Questions have now been raised over the investigation into the murder of Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Pradeep Purnekar in Thane. His family has filed a petition in the Bombay High Court objecting to alleged lapses in the probe by the Special Investigation Team (SIT).

The petition seeks transfer of the case to an independent agency, and asks that the investigation be conducted under the High Court's supervision. It has been filed by Purnekar's son and the complainant, Mandar Ghodke.

On September 29, 2026, unidentified assailants shot Pradeep Purnekar dead near his office in Thane. The family has since been unhappy with the pace of the investigation. It asks whether vital evidence handed to the investigating agency has been properly examined at all.

According to the petition, more than a month has passed since the probe began, yet the SIT has not reached any concrete conclusion. The family had named some people as suspects and had also submitted evidence against them. The petition also asks why they have still not been arrested.

It also seeks a show-cause notice to the SIT chief, Amarsingh Jadhav, DCP of the Thane Crime Branch, over the alleged lapses in the investigation.

The case was initially investigated by Kapurbawdi police. A 23-member SIT was formed later. Five people have been arrested so far in the murder case.

The petition also questions the way evidence was collected. It alleges that the clothes the accused wore during the attack were not seized. The family claims the clothes could have carried bloodstains and that forensic examination could have yielded vital evidence.

The petition also raises the issue that two mobile phones of Pradeep Purnekar were taken into custody before the FIR was registered. It alleges that the family was not informed. Concern has therefore been expressed over the preservation of digital evidence.

The petition also refers to a press note of the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF). The family claims that an accused in custody, Santosh Kanojia, has confessed to conspiring with others to carry out the murder and to executing it. The family alleges that the SIT has not fully incorporated this material in its investigation.

The petitioners have asked that the identities and statements of eyewitnesses be kept confidential. Concern has also been expressed about the safety of witnesses.

The matter was mentioned before a bench of Justice A. S. Gadkari and Justice Kamal Khata. The court has fixed the next hearing for December 5, 2026.

Meanwhile, Thane Police Commissioner Ashutosh Dumbre has said the investigation is proceeding in the right direction. The family's allegations are yet to be examined by the court. The hearing on the petition is likely to give the further investigation of the murder an important turn.