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Dr Virendrasinh Tawde, Amol Kale, and Sharad Kalaskar granted bail in Comrade Govind Pansare murder case

Dr Virendrasinh Tawde, Amol Kale, and Sharad Kalaskar granted bail in Comrade Govind Pansare murder case

Kolhapur (Maharashtra) – The Circuit Bench of the Bombay High Court in Kolhapur has granted bail to Dr Virendrasinh Tawde, a seeker of Sanatan Sanstha and accused in the Comrade Govind Pansare murder case, along with Amol Kale and Sharad Kalaskar, on 14th October. The bail was approved by Justice Shivkumar Dige. Advocates Virendra Ichalkaranjikar, Gururaj Rasal (from Satara), and other lawyers were present during the proceedings.

1. In 2018, the Kolhapur District and Sessions Court had granted bail to Dr Tawde, but he remained imprisoned due to denial of bail in the Dr Narendra Dabholkar murder case in Pune.

2. After being acquitted in the Dabholkar case on 10th May 2024, Dr Tawde was released from jail.

3. However, on 16th July 2024, the Kolhapur District and Sessions Court Judge SS Tambe cancelled his bail, forcing him to return to prison within just two months of his release.

4. Finally, on 14th October 2025, the Bombay High Court Circuit Bench reinstated his bail.

5. Out of 12 total accused in the case, several others — including Sachin Andure, Ganesh Miskin, Amit Degwekar, Bharat Kurne, Amit Baddi, and Vasudev Suryawanshi — have already been granted bail by the Bombay High Court. Another accused, Sameer Gaikwad, had also received bail earlier.

Strong defence arguments lead to bail approval

Senior Advocate Nitin Pradhan represented the defence before the Bombay High Court, while Advocates Virendra Ichalkaranjikar (President, Hindu Vidhidnya Parishad) and Siddhavidya argued before the Kolhapur Bench. They contended that the testimony of government witness Sagar Lakhe was recorded three and a half years after the murder. The state had withdrawn its appeal challenging the 2018 bail order in 2023, and other accused in the same case had already been granted bail — thus, bail should be extended on the principle of parity. Former judge and senior advocate Pushpa Ganediwala also argued strongly on behalf of devout Hindus Amol Kale and Sharad Kalaskar, emphasising their innocence. The Court accepted these submissions and granted bail.

Right from the start, Advocates Sameer Patwardhan (Sangli) and Preeti Patil (Kolhapur) have consistently represented the defence in the District Court proceedings.

Who will compensate the lost 9.5 years of innocent devout Hindus ? : Abhay Vartak, Spokesperson, Sanatan Sanstha

Kolhapur – In the Comrade Govind Pansare murder case, the Kolhapur Bench of the Bombay High Court has granted bail to the devout Hindus Dr Virendrasinh Tawde, Mr Amol Kale, and Mr Sharad Kalaskar. The verdict, delivered by Justice Shivkumar Dige, has paved the way for Dr Tawde’s release after a prolonged legal battle of nine years and six months. Reacting to the verdict, Mr Abhay Vartak, spokesperson of Sanatan Sanstha, congratulated all the lawyers who fought the case successfully. In a press statement, he said, ‘Earlier, the Kolhapur Bar Council had refused to provide a defence lawyer, and now the so-called progressive groups are pressuring to revoke the bail. This shows how the so-called progressive and communist pressure groups destroy the lives of innocent individuals. It is heartbreaking that a gold medalist ENT surgeon had to spend nine years in prison. Who will compensate for the precious years lost in the lives of these innocents ?’

He further added,

1. On the eve of Diwali, the Hindu community has received good news. Recently, the devout Hindus were acquitted in the Malegaon case, and now, in the Pansare case, all have been granted bail. This year, in the true sense, devout Hindus will celebrate Diwali.

2. In January 2018, the Kolhapur Sessions Court had granted bail to Dr Tawde in the Pansare case. However, since he was still imprisoned in the Dabholkar case, he could not be released. When he was acquitted in the Dabholkar case on 10th May 2024, the Pansare family and communist groups launched a campaign to have his bail revoked. As a result, his bail was canceled, and he was re-imprisoned. Now, the High Court’s verdict has finally given him justice.

3. The legal maxim ‘Justice delayed is justice denied’ fits perfectly in the cases of Dr Tawde, Mr Kale, and Mr Kalaskar. Those who obstructed the judicial process and caused this delay should face action. Bail marks a partial victory in this legal battle; by God’s grace, we have faith that their complete acquittal will soon follow.

Reactions to the bail

Media trial forced the accused to spend years in jail : Advocate Prakash Salsingikar, Bombay High Court

From the very beginning, political leaders across parties made statements about this case. Because of the media trial, the accused had to remain in jail for years. Now that all have been granted bail, we believe they will soon be acquitted as well.

Bail granted to innocent Hindutvawadis in Com. Pansare murder case is a positive development : Adv. Virendra Ichalkaranjikar

In the Com. Govind Pansare murder case, accused Shri. Sharad Kalaskar and Shri. Amol Kale had been imprisoned for as long as 6.5 years, during which their bail applications were repeatedly rejected by the District and Sessions Court. Now, along with them, Dr. Virendra Singh Tawde has also been granted bail by the Kolhapur Circuit Bench of the Bombay High Court.

In fact, Dr. Tawde had earlier been granted bail in 2018, and subsequently, the Bombay High Court had also refused to cancel that bail. Despite this, the District and Sessions Court rejected his bail application again in 2024, which was legally incorrect.

We presented this argument before the High Court, and the Court accepted our reasoning and accordingly granted bail to all 3; Dr. Tawde, Shri. Amol Kale, and Shri. Sharad Kalaskar.

Therefore, the bail granted to these innocent Hindutvawadis in the Com. Pansare murder case is indeed a positive and welcome development, said Adv. Virendra Ichalkaranjikar.

We are consulting senior lawyers to file an appeal in the Supreme Court : Megha Pansare

‘Connections between these three accused and others in the murders of Comrade Pansare, Dr Dabholkar, Kalburgi, and Gauri Lankesh, as well as the Nalasopara explosives case, have already been established. The Court had earlier noted that substantial evidence exists against Dr Tawde and Amol Kale. Therefore, granting them bail is extremely painful and worrying for us as a family. We are consulting senior advocates to challenge this verdict in the Supreme Court’, Megha Pansare, daughter-in-law of Comrade Govind Pansare, said in a statement to the media. (The prolonged delay in this case — spanning over six years — stemmed largely from the intervention of the Pansare family. Due to pressure from leftist and so-called progressive groups, highly qualified individuals like Dr Tawde were kept in jail for years. On one hand, they opposed bail, and on the other, they delayed the trial itself — a pattern seen consistently in both the Dabholkar and Pansare cases. – Editor)

Bail for the accused is a Diwali gift to all the devout Hindus : Ramesh Shinde, Hindu Janajagruti Samiti

‘In the Pansare murder case in Kolhapur, despite no strong evidence or criminal background, innocent devout Hindus were arrested in an attempt to label Hindus as terrorists. For ten years, the so-called progressive groups in Kolhapur conspired to delay the case and keep these men rotting in prison. But today, with the Kolhapur Circuit Bench of the Bombay High Court granting bail to the last three accused, their conspiracy has failed’, Ramesh Shinde, national spokesperson of the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti, said in a press statement.

He further added, ‘Among the accused is Dr Virendrasinh Tawde, a former ENT specialist who once worked with the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti, along with Mr Amol Kale and Mr Sharad Kalaskar. Judges have often said, ‘Bail is the rule; jail is the exception’. Yet, despite the lack of evidence, these men were kept imprisoned for years. We commend all the dedicated lawyers who fought tirelessly to bring this injustice to light. This news, arriving just before Diwali, is truly a moment of joy for all devout Hindus’.

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