Nine Maharashtra Police Officers Sentenced to Life for 2011 Custodial Death
A court found officers guilty of murder and torture in the death of a young man from the Pardhi community, delivering rare criminal accountability for police violence.
Overview
- A Washim special court convicted nine current and former Risod police personnel and sentenced them to life imprisonment after finding they murdered Begya Nainu Pawar and attempted to kill his companion.
- The court ruled the men had taken Begya and Raju Pawar into illegal custody, tortured them with sticks and pipes to extract a confession, and then tried to cover up the crime by filing a fabricated FIR.
- Medical evidence led by a three-doctor post-mortem showing 44 injuries and multiple fractures, a CID probe, and testimony from 47 witnesses were central to the prosecution’s case and the court’s verdict.
- The judge rejected the officers’ defence that injuries resulted from a scuffle or ambulance negligence and ordered fines with 70% of each fine—about Rs 56,000 per accused—to be paid to the victim’s family.
- The July 2, 2026 verdict ends a 15-year legal battle and highlights how forensic work and independent CID investigation can overcome official cover-ups in cases of custodial abuse against marginalised groups.