{
  "id": 1668388,
  "title": "Narendra Dabholkar Murder Case: Bombay HC Grants Bail To Convict Sachin Andure, Suspends Life Sentence Pending Appeal",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/narendra-dabholkar-murder-case-bombay-hc-grants-bail-to-convict",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-18T07:57:41.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Press Journal",
    "slug": "free-press-journal",
    "url": "https://www.freepressjournal.in/mumbai/narendra-dabholkar-murder-case-bombay-hc-grants-bail-to-convict-sachin-andure-suspends-life-sentence-pending-appeal"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Mumbai's Bombay High Court has granted bail to Sachin Andure, convicted in the 2013 murder of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar. The bench, comprising Justices Sarang Kotwal and Ranjitsinha Bhonsale, suspended Andure's life sentence while his appeal is being heard. The court's order awaits further details. Andure, also implicated in the killing of activist Govind Pansare, can be released now as he has secured bail in both cases. Dabholkar, 67, founded the Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti, an anti-superstition organization, and was shot dead while on a morning walk in Pune on August 20, 2013, allegedly by men linked to the radical group Sanatan Sanstha. The case initially was handled by the Deccan police station in Pune, but was later transferred to the CBI in 2014 following Mukta Dabholkar's petition. The prosecution claims Andure was one of the shooters. In May 2024, the Sessions Court sentenced Andure and Sharad Kalaskar to life in prison for Dabholkar's murder, but acquitted them of charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Arms Act. Three others, including Tawde, Punalekar, and Bhave, were also acquitted due to lack of evidence. The high court recently granted custody of a 3-year-old boy to his policewoman mother, with weekend visits allowed for his father.",
  "summary": "Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Tuesday granted bail to Sachin Andure, convicted in the 2013 murder case of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar. A bench of Justices Sarang Kotwal and Ranjitsinha Bhonsale also suspended the life sentence handed to Andure by a sessions court in 2024. A detailed order copy is awaited. FPJ 98th Anniversary: Anti-Superstition Activist Dr Narendra Dabholkar's Death Changed…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}