Sarpanch murder case: Accused seeks bail citing his educational qualifications, court rejects plea

Mumbai, Jul 14 (PTI) An accused in the sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh murder case has sought bail citing his BSc degree and "good marks" in Class 10 and 12 exams, but a court in Maharashtra's Beed has denied his plea, saying educational qualification can "by no stretch of imagination" be ground for bail. The court noted that the accused committed the crime with his accomplices to create terror in the society. Deshmukh, the sarpanch of Massajog village in Beed district, was abducted and tortured to death on December 9, 2024 allegedly for attempting to stop an extortion bid targeting an energy company. The brutal murder triggered massive protests across the state. The accused have been charged under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Jayram Chate, one of the seven arrested accused in the case, sought bail citing his educational qualifications. The accused highlighted that he secured good marks in Class 10 and 12 exams, and is a BSc (Computer Science) graduate. However, the court rejected his contention, asserting that the "educational qualification and scoring good marks can by no stretch of imagination be held as a ground to enlarge the applicant on bail in the background of his criminal antecedents". The statement of eyewitnesses to the incident prima facie established Chate's active involvement as a member of organised crime syndicate at the behest of co-accused Walmik Karad, special judge Jayshri Pulate stated in the order passed on July 10. Besides educational qualification, Chate, in his plea, contended that he did not commit any offence and he was "falsely implicated" in the case. He is neither a member of the so-called gang nor involved in any kind of alleged illegal activities as a member of the gang, Chate claimed. The prosecution opposed his plea, saying that Chate was involved in the crime from the beginning. The police submitted that the accused recorded videos of the brutal beating with the intent to make them viral on social media and spread terror. In one of the recordings, Chate is allegedly seen laughing loudly, removing the deceased's clothes, holding his shirt, and actively participating in the beating, it said. After hearing both sides, the court noted that the prosecution has provided the list of criminal cases pending against the accused. Thus, the submission by the accused that he has not gained any pecuniary benefit to attract provisions of the MCOC Act, needs to be turned down, the judge stated. The court underlined that a brutal murderous assault had been committed by the applicant with the co-accused with the intention to create terror in the society. Eventually, the applicant is not entitled to enlargement on bail, the judge ruled. PTI AVI NP