Pramod murder trial verdict within a week

The countdown for the judgment in the sensational Pramod Mahajan murder case has started. On the dot of 5.05 pm on Thursday, additional sessions judge Srihari Davare began dictating his judgement. He is expected to complete the process within a week and pronounce it soon after that.

The defence concluded its arguments Thursday morning ‘in camera’. Thereafter, prosecution rejoined on the law applicable, thus bringing the trial to its last stage. Prosecutor Pradhan had earlier argued that if it is proved that ‘Pravin fired the three shots at Pramod from his revolver, Pravin deserved to be hanged’.

Pravin’s advocate Harshad Ponda summed up the case saying that the prosecution story was made improbable by the unnatural conduct of its witnesses. The evidence smacked of a concerted and deliberate attempt to implicate Pravin.

The evidence did not prove that Pramod’s death was homicidal. “The omissions and contradictions in the testimony of the eye witnesses - Pramod’s wife

Rekha and servant Mahesh Wankhede — show that neither could have been present during the incident. There was therefore no one who saw Pravin fire the alleged three shots.”

Criminal lawyer Shyam Keswani said, “If such a proposition is accepted by the judge the case would fall back on circumstantial evidence and the surrounding circumstances will have to prove Pravin’s culpability beyond doubt.”