Two ex-police officers get bail in Satish Shetty murder case

Pune: Former police officers Bhausaheb Andhalkar and Namdeo Kauthale, arrested by CBI in connection with the 2010 murder of RTI activist Satish Shetty, were granted bail by a court here today.

Additional Sessions Judge V S Kulkarni directed them not to leave the state and tamper with evidence or influence the witnesses, while granting them bail on a personal bond of Rs 15,000 each.

CBI had arrested Andhalkar on April 6 this year while Kauthale was arrested five days later.

They were charged under sections 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy), 192 (fabricating false evidence), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence to screen the offender) and 218 (public servant framing incorrect to save person from punishment) of IPC.

According to CBI, Andhalkar "conspired with others and fabricated and manipulated evidence" whereas Kauthale was accused of "creating false evidence and fake eye-witnesses to shield the real conspirators and killers".

Shetty, who had unearthed some land scams in Pune district through RTI, was murdered by unidentified assailants in Talegaon Dabhade town in the district on January 13, 2010. CBI had earlier closed the case, saying it could not find any prosecutable evidence, but reopened it later in the light of new evidence found during searches in Pune and Mumbai.

Sandeep Shetty, brother of the slain activist, alleged that "it is clear that CBI has no intention to solve the case and the arrest of two former cops was just eyewash". The agency did not oppose the bail, he said, adding that he would move the high court against the "shoddy and dubious" probe.