03 January,2025 06:59 PM IST | Thane | mid-day online correspondent
Representative Pic/iStock
The lawyers of Sakshi Gawli, the co-accused in the rape and murder of a 12-year-old girl from Kalyan in Thane district, on Friday withdrew from the case citing the people's anger over the crime, news agency PTI reported.
Gawli's husband Vishal, who is the main accused in the case, continues to be represented by his lawyers.
According to PTI, Advocate Priyesh Singh announced in a video posted on social media that he and his colleague were returning the brief for the case.
"While we took up this case as judicial duty, considering the strong social sentiment, we believe it is not appropriate for us to continue representing Sakshi Gawli," Singh said, adding that the decision was voluntary and not taken under external pressure, stated PTI.
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Kalyan rape-murder case: Court remands accused couple in 14-day judicial custody
On Friday, Union Minister of State for Social Justice Ramdas Athawale visited the victim's family in Kalyan. The minister said the culprits should be hanged.
Athawale stated that the government would provide financial assistance to the victim's family, and the municipal corporation would demolish the accused's house which has already been declared as hazardous.
Vishal Gawli allegedly abducted the girl with the help of his wife from Chakki Naka area of Kalyan on December 23 when she was playing outside her house. He allegedly raped and killed her. The couple then took the body in an autorickshaw to Bapgaon on Kalyan-Padgha road and dumped it there, as per the police case, stated PTI.
A court in Maharashtra's Thane district on Thursday extended the police custody of the couple arrested in the Kalyan rape, murder case by two days on Thursday, reported news agency PTI.
Prime accused Vishal Gawli and his wife Sakshi were presented before District Judge and Additional Sessions Judge VA Patravale at the end of their police custody in Thane.
After the duo was presented before the court, the police sought their further remand to continue their probe into the crime and to recover the mobile phone of the accused that he threw in the Kasara ghat section as well as a bag which he disposed of in a creek, reported PTI.
The lawyer representing the accused requested the court to allow their relatives to stay with them in police custody as they feared that they could be eliminated in a Badlapur-like encounter, stated PTI. However, the court turned down the lawyer's plea.
(With in puts from PTI)
