Evidence of Santosh Mane’s mental illness suppressed: Defence lawyer

Defence lawyer in Santosh Mane road rampage case on Friday argued that the investigation in the case was prejudiced and unjust, and that the investigators have suppressed evidence pertaining to the mental sickness of the accused.

After the district government pleader Advocate Ujjwala Pawar concluded her argument in the case on Thursday, Mane's lawyer Dhananjay Mane on Friday argued before the court of additional sessions judge V K Shewale.

On January 25, 2012, Mane, a driver with the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation, had hijacked a bus from Swargate Station and gone on a rampage on city roads that left nine people dead and several others injured.

"During the course of trial, 39 witnesses were examined by the prosecution, but deliberately abstained from examining Dr (Dilip) Burte, the psychiatrist who treated Mane for mental illness for two years. Investigating officer Mohite had said in his testimony that Dr Burte didn't cooperate with the police. But, Burte, in his testimony, has said the police had indeed recorded his statement and collected a copy of Mane's history-sheet. This shows that the investigation was not fair and conducted under the public pressure," Mane said.

The lawyer went on to argue that Sharif Ibrahim Kutti, the 21-year-old college boy, who claimed that he had stopped Mane on January 25, who also helped police prepare a panchnama of the incident was also not produced before court.

"Kutty was an independent witness, who was not examined by the prosecution. Only police witnesses were examined. Policeman Bapue Lonkar had said that his the statement recorded by police bore his signature. But, his statement produced before the court doesn't bear his sign. This shows the prosecution submitted a fabricated version of Lonkar statement in court to support their case," submitted Mane.

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