Two division benches of the Bombay High Court on Wednesday refused to hear a public interest litigation seeking a CBI probe into the murder of slain Communist leader and social activist Govind Pansare.
The PIL, filed by activist Ketan Tirodkar, came up before a bench headed by Justice P V Hardas which said "not before us". However, the judges did not assign any reason for not hearing the petition.
The petitioner then mentioned the matter before another bench headed by Justice Vijaya Tahilramani which also recused itself from hearing the PIL. Tirodkar then submitted a written application to the Registrar of the High Court requesting him to place the PIL for hearing before a new bench.
Pansare was shot dead by unidentified men near his house in Kolhapur on February 16. His daughter Smita and daughter-in-law Megha Pansare have filed an application seeking permission to intervene in the PIL. Both are demanding setting up of special investigation team to probe the murder.
The intervention application has not yet been decided and is expected to come up for hearing before a new bench along with the PIL next week, HC sources said. Earlier, the High Court had transferred the probe into the murder of another social activist Narendra Dabholkar to CBI. This PIL was also filed by Tirodkar.
