SC Grants Bail to MCOCA Accused Kadu in 2019 Nilesh Wadkar Murder Case
The Supreme Court granted bail to Abhijeet Ganesh Kadu, an accused charged under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) in connection with the 2019 murder of Pune gangster Nilesh Wadkar at Janata Colony in the Parvati area.
A bench comprising Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta passed the order on August 5, 2026. In its decision, the court noted that Kadu had spent over seven years and six months in custody and that co-accused individuals with similar roles in the case had already been granted bail.
Kadu had filed a Special Leave Petition before the apex court challenging an order passed by the Bombay High Court on March 12, which had rejected his bail plea.
The case was originally registered at the Dattawadi Police Station in Pune City following Wadkar's murder on January 13, 2019. According to police reports, Wadkar was walking alongside his associates when they were intercepted near the Yallama Mandir in Janata Colony by a group comprising Kadu, Sunil Dokephode, and others.
The prosecution stated that the accused formed an unlawful assembly armed with firearms, knives, iron rods, and stones. Wadkar sustained multiple fatal injuries in the attack, while several of his associates were also injured.
Investigators cited a longstanding feud between two criminal gangs operating in Janata Vasahat as the motive for the killing. One gang was allegedly led by Sunil Dokephode, also known as "Chocolate Sunya," while the rival group was associated with Wadkar.
