On Wednesday, the Bombay High Court in Mumbai granted bail to Sharad Kalaskar, a convict in the murder of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar, who was killed in Pune on August 20, 2013. The court set the bail amount at ₹50,000 (approximately $600 USD). Kalaskar is also facing charges in the murder of another rationalist, Govind Pansare, and had previously been granted bail in that case. Following the murder of Dabholkar, the investigation was initially conducted by local police but was later handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation in 2014 after a petition from Dabholkar's daughter, Mukta Dabholkar. In May 2024, a sessions court convicted Kalaskar and another individual, Sachin Andure, sentencing them to life in prison, although they were acquitted of charges under the Unlawful Activities Act and the Arms Act. Mukta Dabholkar has appealed against the acquittals, arguing that the murder was part of a larger conspiracy involving right-wing extremists. Dabholkar's murder was the first in a series of attacks on rationalists and activists in India.