A Barasat sessions court in North 24 Parganas, West Bengal, has granted thirteen days of police custody for three men arrested in connection with the targeted killing of Chandranath Rath, a former Indian Air Force officer and personal assistant to senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, as investigators race to unravel what the prosecution has characterised as a professionally orchestrated contract murder.
Rath was shot dead on May 6 near his Madhyamgram residence when armed assailants intercepted his SUV and fired at close range in what police described as a highly coordinated strike. The Special Investigation Team constituted by West Bengal Police subsequently tracked down three suspects, Mayank Raj Mishra, Vicky Maurya, and Raj Singh, through coordinated operations spanning Bihar and Uttar Pradesh before producing them before the Barasat district court.
The prosecution pressed for custodial remand, arguing that the nature and precision of the attack pointed unmistakably to a pre-meditated hit involving professional shooters, and that extended police custody was essential to trace the full chain of conspiracy. The killing immediately ignited political tensions across the state, with the BJP attributing it to political vendetta while the Trinamool Congress denied any such motive and called for an impartial probe.
The sessions court, accepting the prosecution's case for continued custodial interrogation, remanded all three accused to police custody for thirteen days. The prosecution's core submission, that this was "a pre-planned contract killing"executed by professional sharpshooters, formed the central basis for the court's satisfaction that extended police remand was necessary to unearth the conspiracy's origins, funding, and broader network.
The Court accordingly ordered thirteen days of police custody for all three accused.
Case Title: Shakuntala T. Amrutkar and Ors. Vs. The Municipal Corportion of Greater Mumbai and Ors.
Case No.: Interim Application No.6549 of 2025
Coram: Hon’ble Mr. Justice Kamal Khata, Hon’ble Mr. Justice A.S. Gadkari
Advocate for the Petitioner: Adv. Deepak Thakare, Adv. Mangesh Naik, Adv. Vishakha Tiwari
Advocate for the Respondent: Adv. Smita Tondwalkar, Adv. Uday Warunjikar, Adv. Nitesh Bhutekar, Adv. Siddhesh Pilankar, Adv. Prerana Shukla, AGP Madhura Deshmukh
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