Bombay High Court Grants Bail to Convict in Dabholkar Murder Case

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, granted bail to Sachin Prakashrao Andure, one of two men convicted for the 2013 murder of rationalist Dr. Narendra Dabholkar. The court also suspended Andure's life sentence pending the final outcome of his appeal against the conviction.

A division bench of Justices Sarang Kotwal and Ranjitsinha Bhonsale delivered the order. The decision follows a similar ruling in April 2026, when a coordinate bench granted bail to Andure's co-convict, Sharad Bhausaheb Kalaskar. With this ruling, both individuals convicted in the high-profile case are now out on bail while their appeals are heard.

The court's decision was based on the principle of parity with Kalaskar. In granting Kalaskar bail earlier, the court had noted that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) failed to conduct a formal Test Identification Parade (TIP), which compromised the identification of the accused. The court also considered that Kalaskar had served over seven and a half years in custody with little prospect of his appeal being heard soon. These same factors were applied to Andure's case.

Andure's defense argued that the prosecution's case relied on an...