Summary: The Bombay High Court has refused to release three people on bail in the 2020 Palghar mob lynching case, citing serious charges and strong evidence against them.
On April 17 and 18, 2020, during the COVID-19 lockdown, a terrible event happened in Gadchinche, Palghar. A group of 400-500 villagers attacked a vehicle carrying three men, mistakenly thinking they were child kidnappers. Despite the men's cries for help, the crowd beat them, leading to their deaths. The police, who tried to stop the attack, were also harmed.
Sunil @ Satya Shantaram Dalvi, Sajanya Barkya Burkud, and Vinod Ramu Rao were among those charged. They were arrested in May 2020 and have been in jail since. They are facing serious charges like murder and planning the attack under different sections of the Indian Penal Code.
The lawyer for the accused, Mr. Sachin Pawar, asked for bail because they had been in jail for a long time. However, Dr. Neela Gokhale, J, pointed out that Sunil @ Satya Shantaram Dalvi, Sajanya Barkya Burkud, and Vinod Ramu Rao were clearly involved in the attack, as shown in CCTV footage and confirmed by witnesses.
The lawyer for the prosecution, Mr. Amit Munde, showed evidence including:
The court, after considering how serious the crime was and the evidence, refused to let them out on bail. It stressed that the actions of Sunil @ Satya Shantaram Dalvi, Sajanya Barkya Burkud, and Vinod Ramu Rao were not accidental but intentional and violent.
The investigation, now handled by the CBI since August 2025, is still ongoing. The court asked the CBI to speed up the investigation. Sunil @ Satya Shantaram Dalvi, Sajanya Barkya Burkud, and Vinod Ramu Rao can ask for bail again after the investigation is completed.
