Court Rules Against Crime Syndicate Member in Sarpanch Murder Case

A special court in Maharashtra's Beed district has dismissed the discharge plea of Vishnu Chate, an individual accused in the brutal murder of sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh. The court cited Chate's alleged involvement with an organized crime syndicate.

The presiding judge, V H Patwadkar, rejected Chate's application earlier this month, noting that there are sufficient grounds to bring charges against him. Deshmukh, a community leader in Massajog village, was allegedly killed for interfering in an extortion scheme targeting an energy company.

Chate argued that he was not complicit in the crime and that the prerequisites for invoking the MCOCA were not met. However, the court found evidence suggesting Chate's active participation in ongoing unlawful activities with the organized crime group.

(With inputs from agencies.)