Archive · 7 Aug 2026
Special NIA Court Pardons Alleged Naxal In Informer Murder Case
A judge in Mumbai made an important decision about a very serious crime.
In 2023, a 27-year-old man named Dinesh Gawde was killed.
The people accused of the crime thought he was telling the police their secrets.
They are part of a group called the Naxals.
One of the people accused of the crime saw what happened to Gawde.
He wanted to help the court by becoming an 'approver,' which means a witness who gets a pardon.
The court gave him a pardon, so he will not be punished for his part in the crime.
A pardon means the court forgives the person so they can tell the truth.
Another accused person disagreed and said the witness was not trustworthy.
But the judge decided to let him help the court anyway.
A special NIA court in Mumbai granted a pardon to an alleged Naxal accused in the 2023 murder of 27-year-old Dinesh Gawde.
Gawde was allegedly killed on suspicion of being a police informer, with Naxal group members leaving a note stating this with his body.
The case was registered at Dhodraj Police Station on November 16, 2023.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) moved the application seeking the pardon, and the accused's identity was withheld for safety reasons.
Another accused opposed the plea, claiming the proposed approver was untrustworthy and his consent was obtained forcibly or through inducement, but the court granted the pardon and allowed him to become an approver.
- Who
- 27-year-old Dinesh Gawde, the murder victim; an alleged Naxal accused whose identity was withheld, granted a pardon; another accused who opposed the pardon; and the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
- What
- A special NIA court granted a pardon to an alleged Naxal and allowed him to become an approver in the 2023 murder case of Dinesh Gawde, allegedly killed on suspicion of being a police informer.
- When
- Thursday, August 6, 2026 (court decision); the murder occurred in 2023 and the case was registered on November 16, 2023.
- Where
- Mumbai; the case was registered at Dhodraj Police Station.
- Why
- The proposed approver witnessed Gawde's murder, expressed willingness to become an approver, and had surrendered to police, so under the applicable policy he could not be prosecuted further.
Support for Pardon
Opposition to Pardon
Approver's pardon
Support for Pardon
The NIA and the court held that the proposed approver witnessed the murder, willingly agreed to become an approver, and, having surrendered to police, could not be prosecuted further under the applicable policy.
Opposition to Pardon
Another accused contended that the proposed approver was not trustworthy and that his consent had been obtained forcibly or through inducement.
- Court
- Special NIA Court
- Pardoned Accused
- Alleged Naxal (identity withheld for safety reasons)
- Victim
- Dinesh Gawde, 27
- Reason For Killing
- Suspicion of being a police informer
- Case Registered
- November 16, 2023, at Dhodraj Police Station
- Pardon Application
- Moved by the National Investigation Agency (NIA)
- Decision Date
- Thursday, August 6, 2026