Walmik Karad, accused in the windmill extortion case and a suspect in the murder of sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh, is now facing action under the Maharashtra Control of Organized Crime Act (MCOCA). After the court granted judicial custody in the extortion case, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) took him into custody for the murder investigation. In response, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) President and Deputy Chief Minister of the state Ajit Pawar clarified the government's stance, saying that no one would be spared.
"The Chief Minister is constantly paying attention to this. The Chief Minister has been saying from the beginning that whoever is guilty, action will be taken. His family is worried because it has been a month. The investigation is being done through a judge. This is a brutal murder, no matter who it is, action will be taken. This is the state of Shahu, Phule and Ambedkar. This is an act that shames humanity. Whoever is the accused, he will not be killed. Law and order should be maintained," Maharashtra Deputy CM said.
"PM Modi is coming tomorrow... Today the Chief Minister is in Panipat. I am going to Davos on the 19th of January. Before that, the guardian minister will take a decision," he added.
The process to take Karad into SIT custody has begun. He will be presented in court again tomorrow, where the SIT will request police custody to conduct a detailed investigation into the murder of Sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh. Therefore, after receiving judicial custody in the extortion case today, it is likely that Karad will be granted police custody by the MCOCA court tomorrow.