MUMBAI: Frustrated with the slow pace of probe in the Pansare murder case, the family members of comrade Govind Pansare on Monday requested the Bombay High Court to that the investigating officer from the Special Investigation Team (SIT) be changed.
The bench of senior justices Satyranjan Dharmadhikari and Gautam Patel had been monitoring the probe underway in the case by the SIT of Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Maharashtra Police. It had expressed deep displeasure over the probe report submitted by the SIT last month.
The court had expressed displeasure over the SIT for relying upon the details obtained during the probe of other cases and lacked any independent steps taken for the probe.
During Monday's hearing both the investigating agencies, the SIT and the CBI, submitted their reports before the court. After the reports were submitted Pansare's counsel Abhay Nevagi made an oral submission before the court that the investigating officer of the SIT be changed.
Upon hearing the submission, the bench directed the counsels to file a proper written submission while stating that the oral submission during the hearing might adversely affect their side.
During last hearing on September 15, the SIT had said that they were not able to make any headway in the case due to floods in the district but are trying to probe common links between murder cases of Dabholkar and Kalburgi.
While Dabholkar was shot dead on August 20, 2013, in Pune, Pansare was shot at on February 16, 2015 in Kolhapur and succumbed to his injuries a few days later on February 20. The SIT was formed after the family members of Pansare and Dabholkar moved HC demanding court monitoring of the probe.