Pansare kin demands appointing special public prosecutor

KOLHAPUR: The family of the slain rationalist Govind Pansare on Monday demanded that the state appoint a special public prosecutor to conduct the ongoing trial. A letter to this effect was sent to the home department and Sanjay Kumar, head of the Special Investigative Team.
Uma Pansare, wife of Govind Pansare and Megha Pansare, his daughter-in-law, have said that the family have due respect for the abilities of the public prosecutor currently handling the trial."However, we again emphasize that the trial is one which has far-reaching implications, and hence there is a need to appoint a senior prosecutor. The trial is also of far greater public importance than a usual murder trial, considering the fact that a large section of the society greatly look up to the legacy of Pansare," the family wrote in a letter, a copy of which is with TOI.
Referring to the writ petition which the family filed before Bombay High Court, the Pansare kin said that the HC had suggested appointing special public prosecutor. The government pleader appearing in the matter before the high court also assured the court that he would request the government to appoint a special public prosecutor. The high court has also recorded that further investigation is in progress after obtaining permission under Section 173(8) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, the Pansare family stated.
"We would also like to bring to your attention the fact that the accused, Sameer Gaikwad, has filed a criminal application no. 842 of 2015 for seeking transfer of the criminal trial out of Kolhapur. As per reports, the government has appointed the Advocate General of Maharashtra to oppose the transfer petition of Gaikwad. It is evident that the government is taking this transfer petition very seriously. We are, accordingly, requesting that the same degree of caution be exercised in the trial itself and that a special public prosecutor should be appointed to conduct it," Pansare's kin wrote in the letter.