A Special Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) Court in Pune today convicted and sentenced Sachin Andure and Sharad Kalaskar to life imprisonment in the murder of well-known rationalist Dr. Narendra Dabholkar. Three others were acquitted for the lack of evidence.

Anti-superstition activist Dabholkar, was shot dead in Pune on August 20, 2013. Additional Sessions Judge P.P. Jadhav said that the prosecution had proved the charges of murder and conspiracy against Andure and Kalaskar and they have been awarded life imprisonment and a fine of 5 lakh rupees.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had stated in its final arguments that the accused were opposed to Dabholkar’s crusade against superstition. The CBI took over the probe in 2014 from Pune police following a Bombay High Court order. The CBI first named fugitives Sarang Akolkar and Vinay Pawar as the shooters in its charge sheet. But later it arrested Sachin Andure and Sharad Kalaskar, and claimed in a supplementary charge sheet that they had shot Dabholkar.