Massajog sarpanch murder co-accused attends post-death ritual of his brother

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Jayaram Chate, a co-accused in the murder of Massajog sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh in Beed district, attended the 12th-day ritual of his recently deceased brother on Friday after a Beed court granted him a one-day temporary relief to participate in the ceremony under strict conditions.Chate, who has been in Beed jail for the past 14 months, left the Beed district jail amid tight security on Friday morning after receiving permission to visit his native village, Tambwa, between 9am and 4pm. His brother had passed away on March 2. As per the court's directions, he was to be brought back to jail by the end of the day.Chate's lawyers had moved an application before the district and sessions court seeking permission for the visit. During the March 6 hearing, govt pleader Balasaheb Kolhe opposed the request. After reviewing arguments from both sides, the court permitted Chate to attend the ceremony for a limited duration with strict safeguards.According to the court order, Chate must remain under constant police escort and return to jail before the 4pm deadline. The court also stated that he must bear the expenses for the police security deployed for his visit and comply with all specified conditions. Police were instructed to ensure law and order during his presence in the village.Dhananjay, the brother of slain sarpanch Deshmukh, expressed concern about potential law and order issues during Chate's visit. The victim's family also referred to concerns raised earlier by senior lawyer Ujjwal Nikam, noting the sensitivity of the case and the risk of unrest.Dhananjay emphasised that the case had been closely followed across Maharashtra for over a year, alleging that the conduct of the accused had triggered strong public reactions. He said the police administration must take full responsibility for maintaining peace if the accused is allowed to attend the ceremony.Authorities, however, assured that adequate security measures were in place to prevent any untoward incident.