PUNE: In a significant development in the high-profile murder case of former Massajog sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh, the district and special sessions court in Beed on Tuesday formally framed charges against all the accused, including the prime accused Walmik Karad.
Maratha community members protest the murder of Beed sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh on 5 January, 2025. (PTI)
The hearing was conducted before the special court, where special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam presented the prosecution’s case. Nikam told the court that the murder stemmed from an attempted extortion racket allegedly resisted by Deshmukh, and that the investigation had revealed a planned and organised conspiracy behind the killing.
After reading out the charges, the judge asked the accused whether they accepted the sequence of events as presented by the prosecution. All the accused, including Karad, denied the charges. Karad personally addressed the court to state that he did not accept the charges and sought permission to speak.
The court has scheduled the next hearing for January 8, 2026.
Deshmukh, the sarpanch of Massajog village in Kej taluka of Beed district, was kidnapped and murdered on December 9, 2024. The incident triggered widespread protests and political scrutiny across Maharashtra, with allegations linking the crime to organised criminal activity and local power struggles.
The case is being tried under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) following the submission of a detailed chargesheet by the CID. Multiple accused were arrested as part of the investigation, which has remained under close public and media watch.
Nikam, who was appointed as special public prosecutor by the Maharashtra government in view of the case’s gravity, said the charges were formally framed on Tuesday and reiterated that Deshmukh was killed for allegedly obstructing an extortion attempt. He alleged that defence lawyers continued to raise repetitive issues in court in an attempt to delay proceedings, and urged the court to ensure a swift trial.
“The examination of evidence will now begin. The prosecution is making every effort to expedite the case,” Nikam said, adding that the evidence establishes both motive and the existence of a larger criminal conspiracy.
The defence has challenged Nikam’s appointment, alleging political bias. The court is expected to take up this plea in subsequent hearings.
According to the police, the six accused — Sudarshan Ghule, Jayram Chate, Shrikrishna Andhale, Pratik Ghule, Sudhir Sangle and Mahesh Kedar — allegedly took Deshmukh to a field in the Takli area, adjacent to Sudarshan Ghule’s farm, where he was brutally assaulted.
Investigators said the accused recorded the assault on mobile phones. The police have recovered 15 video clips and eight photographs showing Deshmukh being attacked and the accused celebrating during the act. The visuals, which later surfaced in the media and on social media, sparked widespread outrage across the state.
The first court hearing in the case was held on March 12, 2025. The police filed a chargesheet running into nearly 1,800 pages, detailing the sequence of events, forensic findings and electronic evidence gathered during the investigation.
