Special Court Closes Evidence in 2012 Murder Trial Against Vijay Palande

A special court in Mumbai on Saturday closed the evidence stage in a 2012 murder case against alleged serial killer Vijay Palande, who was previously convicted for the 2002 murder of Juhu resident Swaraj Ranjan Das, after Palande informed the court that he did not wish to lead any defence evidence.

The court moved the trial to final arguments and adjourned the matter to September 7. Palande, who is currently in judicial custody and represents himself in the proceedings, had been produced before the special court when the decision was recorded.

The present case against Palande stems from the recovery of human skeletal remains near Chiplun in 2012 during the investigation into the murder of aspiring film producer Karan Kakkad. While DNA analysis established that a torso found in the area belonged to Kakkad, tests revealed that a recovered skull did not belong to him. This finding led police to register a fresh murder case against Palande and his associates.

Palande had previously sought permission to examine several witnesses in his defence, including a journalist, officials from the Directorate of Forensic Science Laboratories, and police officers. Specifically, he had named the senior police inspector and the police inspector of administration from the Oshiwara police station who were on duty between April 14 and April 17, 2012.

In earlier written submissions, Palande had raised questions about the prosecution's handling of DNA evidence and other investigative procedures, referencing forensic reports, Right to Information responses, and Oshiwara police deployment records.

However, during Saturday's court appearance, Palande opted not to press his application to examine defence witnesses. With no further defence evidence presented, the court officially closed the evidence stage.