Victims seek special public prosecutor

The victims in the 1997 Ramabai Nagar firing case have demanded that a special public prosecutor be appointed in the hearing of the appeal and bail application filed by convicted SRPF officer Manohar Kadam.

Kadam, who was given life sentence on May 7 for ordering his platoon to fire on a Dalit mob on the morning of July 11, 1997 in which ten persons were killed, had moved the Bombay High Court a day later seeking bail and suspension of his sentence. However, since he had not received a copy of the trial court’s judgment then, he moved the vacation bench of the court on Tuesday.

Pressing for his bail, advocate Raja Thakre said that Kadam had “no intention to kill” anybody and cannot be convicted under 304-II (Act committed with the knowledge that it is likely to cause death, but without any intention to cause death. He added that Kadam had been on bail since 1997 and never breached any conditions. The case was adjourned till Wednesday.