High Court declines urgent hearing on plea for independent probe into Thane Sena (UBT) leader's murder

The High Court has declined to grant an urgent hearing in the murder case of Pradeep Purnekar, a Shiv Sena (UBT) vibhagpramukh in Thane's Manpada area. Politics around the killing was already heated.

Purnekar's son, Ram Purnekar, has moved the Bombay High Court. He has asked that the investigation be handed to an independent agency to ensure a fair probe. He also wants Rajendra Shinde's statement placed on record. Questioning the investigation so far, he has alleged that the SIT failed to seize the clothes the attackers were wearing at the time of the assault.

Complainant Mandar Ghodke is also a petitioner along with Ram Purnekar. Both have sought transfer of the probe to an independent agency. The plea was heard on Friday by a vacation bench of Justice Advait Sethna and Justice Ranjitsinh Bhosale.

The prosecution told the court that Pradeep Purnekar was murdered on September 29 and a case was registered the next day. A special investigation team (SIT) was formed and the first arrest was made on the same day. According to the prosecution, five accused have been arrested within ten days.

The High Court remarked that what they were doing deserved appreciation. Considering the progress made in the investigation so far, the court rejected the plea for an urgent hearing.

The petitioners were, however, given some room for relief. They have been given liberty to place their plea before the regular bench as soon as the Diwali vacation ends. The plea for an independent agency probe will thus be heard by the regular bench after the vacation.

The family is questioning the fairness of the investigation and pointing to lapses such as the clothes not being seized. The prosecution, on the other hand, is citing the arrests and swift action. For now, the court has taken the progress of the investigation into account.