MUMBAI: In a 27-year-old Pune case of robbery and multiple murders, a key accused tried separately on his re-arrest 13 years after allegedly fleeing from custody— who was convicted and sentenced to death in 2021 — stood acquitted on Monday by Bombay high court. The HC directed that he be released “forthwith”.
The accused, Bhagwat Kale, was then a watchman at a construction site and did other odd jobs. The victims were four members of a family, including two children. The alleged motive was robbery of cash and silver ornaments worth roughly Rs 49 lakh.
The state sought confirmation of the noose from HC as required by law for capital punishment. HC set him at liberty, holding no case was established to either nail him or hang him. A division bench of Justices Bharati Dangre and Manjusha Deshpande, pronouncing the judgment, said, “Since we find no case made out in confirming the death sentence… we dismiss the confirmation case.” Kale appealed against his conviction. HC, in a reasoned judgment to be made available later, set aside his conviction.
On the intervening night of May 15-16, 1997, Ramesh Patil (55), Vijaya Patil (47), Pooja Patil (13), and Manjunath Patil (10) were murdered at their rented Kalyaninagar residence. Bhagwat Kale’s wife, Geetabai, worked as a domestic help at the Patils’ house.
A Pune sessions court convicted Geetabai and the third accused, Sahebrao alias Navnath Kale, for the murders in Jan 2004.
While Geetabai was sentenced to a life term, Navnath was sentenced to death by hanging. The state cited a Nov 2004 judgment of the HC division bench of then Justices V G Palshikar and Anoop Mohta, which, while commuting Navnath’s death sentence but upholding their convictions, said, “Bhagwat could not be tried as he was absconding.”
