Bombay High Court grants bail to man in Pune gang-rivalry murder case – The Indian Express

Abhay Survase, arrested after Aniket Randive was killed allegedly to avenge an attack on a member of the former’s gang, was granted bail by a single-judge bench of Justice Nitin W Sambre as it held that neither Randive’s father nor the FIR attributed any specific role to Survase in the offence.

Survase was chargesheeted on a complaint registered at the Chikhali police station in Pune for offences under the Indian Penal Code and the Maharashtra Police Act.

According to Survase’s counsel, an eyewitness named Onkar Karsule had claimed to have seen his client along with co-accused assaulting Randive with a sword and a sickle, but attributed no specific role to him. Moreover, the eyewitness’s statement was recorded 20 days after Survase’s arrest, advocate Sana Raees Khan further submitted, arguing that the prosecution had therefore not established the basis for the June 1, 2020 arrest.

The court noted that Survase was initially not named in the FIR and that Randive’s father recorded a supplementary statement on June 22 saying the accused was present at the murder spot.

“Neither the said statement nor the FIR attributes any specific role of actively participating in the offence in question. Even if the statement of Onkar is looked into, the same only speaks of the presence of the applicant on the spot of the incident. The said statement is also recorded at a belated stage i.e. almost after 20 days of the incident in question. As such, there is strong suspicion about the involvement of the applicant in the offence in question. That being so, the case for bail is made out,” said the court.

The court directed Survase to be released on a personal bond of Rs 25,000 with one or more sureties of the like amount, and asked him to remain outside Pune district except on the trial dates.