Narendra Dabholkar was killed in 2013 (File)
A special court in Pune rejected the bail application of Sanatan Sanstha member Vikram Bhave on Tuesday, who is one of the accused in the 2013 murder of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar.
Additional Sessions Judge SR Navandar said that bail cannot be granted to the accused given his conviction in the 2008 Thane bomb blasts case and in view of his alleged role in Narendra Dabholkar's murder.
According to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Vikram Bhave, 34, had played a key role in the conspiracy to kill Narendra Dabholkar by facilitating reconnaissance of the spot in Pune where he was shot dead on August 20, 2013, and also the escape route for the shooters.
The accused was convicted for his alleged involvement in the blasts at theatres and auditoriums in Thane district in 2008.
He was granted bail by the Bombay High Court in that case in 2013.
In 2008, blasts ripped through Vishnudas Bhave auditorium in Vashi in Navi Mumbai on May 31 and in a parking lot in Thane's Gadkari Rangayatan on June 4. Before that on February 20, a bomb was recovered at Cineraj Theatre in Panvel in Raigad district which was screening "Jodha Akbar".