Court Denies Bail to Karad in Sarpanch Murder Case

A special court in Maharashtra's Beed district has denied bail to Walmik Karad, the main suspect in the murder of sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh. Evidence suggests his active involvement in the abduction and murder, which was allegedly executed to stop Deshmukh from thwarting an extortion bid against an energy company.

The court, led by special MCOCA judge V H Patwadkar, refused bail citing the severity of the crimes allegedly committed by Karad and his associates. The possibility of their re-engagement in similar crimes was considered too high to justify bail. The Criminal Investigation Department has submitted a lengthy chargesheet in the case.

Despite arguments from Karad's lawyer challenging the applicability of MCOCA provisions and highlighting a lack of prior convictions, the prosecution, led by Ujjwal Nikam, presented substantial witness statements and electronic evidence to establish Karad's involvement in a criminal conspiracy.

(With inputs from agencies.)