Eight accused, excluding Walmik Karad charged with MCOCA in Beed murder case

Walmik Karad, a close aide of Maharashtra minister Dhananjay Munde, as he surrenders before the Crime Investigation Department (CID) in a case linked to the murder of a sarpanch in Beed district of Maharashtra, in Pune on Tuesday (December 31, 2024). File
| Photo Credit: PTI

While the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) has been invoked against the eight accused in the Beed Sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh murder case on Saturday (January 11, 2025), political leaders have raised concerns over Walmik Karad not being charged with MCOCA.

All the accused, Sudarshan Ghule, Prateek Ghule, Sudhir Sangle, Krishna Andhale, Vishnu Chate, Siddharth Sonawane, Mahesh Kedar, Jairam Chate, and Krishna Andhale are booked under MCOCA. Krishna Andhale is still absconding. Mr. Karad, a close aide of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Minister Dhananjay Munde, has not been booked under the MCOCA as he was arrested in the extortion case, according to police.

The MCOCA was invoked after the investigation revealed the involvement of organised crime syndicates in the murder. Under the section of Section 3 (1) of the MCOCA, the accused is imprisoned for a minimum of five years and can confiscate the property of the accused.

Special Investigation Team invoked the MCOCA at a time when all-party protests have been organised in various districts to demand justice for the family of Santosh Deshmukh. On Saturday (January 11, 2025), Jan Akrosh Morcha was organised in the Dharashiv district of Maharashtra, where the Deshmukh family, political leaders Suresh Das, and Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil also joined the rally. The protestors and political leaders demanded to book Mr. Karad under MCOCA and for murder under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Without taking Mr. Karad, Suresh Das said, “Only seven are booked under MCOCA, one more is left. Walmik was also there but he claims I have no connection with the murder case, however, he is the main character. He should also be booked under MCOCA and police please explain to me how varche aka [Dhananjay Munde] on whose bungalow meeting was held on October 19 is not involved in the case.”

Besides, Mr. Das, Beed MLA Sandeep Kshirsagar, Manoj Jarange, NCP-Samajwadi Party leader Bajrang Sonawane, and National President of All India Panther Sena Deepak Kedar also demanded to invoke MCOCA against Walmik Karad.

Earlier, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced that no one will be spared and all the accused will be booked under MCOCA. Deepak Kedar questioned Mr. Fadnavis, “Why Karad was not charged with MCOCA along with the other eight accused?”

Accused Vishnu Chate, who was sent to 14-day judicial custody, was presented in Court on Saturday (January 11, 2025) for receiving two days of CID custody to investigate whether he is connected to other accused in the case. Beed Court has granted two days of CID custody.