Palghar lynching case: Bail plea of 70 accused to be heard today

The bail applications of about 70 accused in the April 16 Palghar lynching case will be heard before the Special Judge Jadhav in Thane Sessions Court, confirmed Satish Maneshinde.

On Wednesday, the state Crime Investigation Department (CID) named 208 new accused in the case and arrested 50 people.

With this development, the total arrested in the case stands at 376 out of which 11 are minors. However, 9 minors and 28 others have been released on bail as the CID in its chargesheet did not name their involvement in the lynching and hence sought default bail.

In April this year, the killing of the two saffron-robed men and their driver had sparked off national outrage after video footage showed policemen heading to safety inside the police station and leaving the three men at the mercy of hundreds of people who suspected the three were thieves.

The three men, identified as Kalpvrush Giri, 70, Sushil Giri, 35, and driver Nilesh Telgade, 30, were dragged out of their vehicle and thrashed by the mob in Gadhchinchale village, about 110 km from Palghar. The seers belonged to Varanasi-based Juna Akhara and were on their way to attend the last rites of their guru Mahant Shri Ram Giri in Surat.