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In a decisive move following the tragic murder of Ketan Agarwal in rural Lonavala, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis met with the victim's father, Vishal Agarwal, in Pune on Friday to address the family's plea for swift justice.
During the meeting, the Chief Minister expressed deep sympathy for the grieving family and reaffirmed the government's stance on the incident. "We are committed to ensuring that the guilty in this case receive the harshest punishment," the Chief Minister stated, assuring the family that his administration would leave no stone unturned in the pursuit of justice. In a post on X, the office of the Chief Minister of Maharashtra shared, "In the case of the tragic murder of Ketan Agarwal that took place in the rural area of Lonavala, Ketan Agarwal's father, Vishal Agarwal, met with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today in Pune and demanded justice for his son. We are committed to ensuring that the guilty in this case receive the harshest punishment. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis assured them at this time that no stone will be left unturned in delivering justice to the family." https://x.com/CMOMaharashtra/status/2070430431749751232/photo/2 Responding directly to the demands presented by Vishal Agarwal, Chief Minister Fadnavis took immediate action to expedite the legal proceedings. The Chief Minister approved the establishment of a fast-track court specifically for this case to ensure an accelerated trial process. He accepted the request to appoint renowned senior advocate Ujjwal Nikam as the special public prosecutor. The Chief Minister issued immediate directives to the Secretary of the Law and Judiciary Department to finalise the necessary procedures. It has been confirmed that Ujjwal Nikam has officially given his consent to represent the state in the case, signalling a prioritised approach to the prosecution. "Their demand to establish a fast-track court in this case and appoint Ujjwal Nikam as a special public prosecutor was also immediately accepted by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, and he issued instructions to that effect to the Secretary of the Law and Judiciary Department. Senior advocate Ujjwal Nikam has also given his consent to work as a special public prosecutor in this case," the post read. Ketan Agarwal died on June 18 after falling from Lohagad Fort near Pune. Police are investigating it as a suspected murder case. His fiancee, Siya Goyal, and her friend, Chetan Chaudhary, have been arrested and are currently in police custody as the probe continues. Further, Lonavala Rural Police Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) Gajanan Tompe said the investigation into the death of Ketan Agarwal is ongoing, adding that statements of several individuals have already been recorded and more are being taken as part of the probe. Speaking to ANI, DySP Tompe said, "So far, in our investigation, statements of some people have been recorded. We have also given some statements before the court. And regarding the rest of the investigation, we are gathering more information, and accordingly, our investigation is moving forward. There is full cooperation from Ketan's family, and today we are also investigating and taking the statement of Siya's brother as well." "Our investigation is still ongoing. It wouldn't be appropriate to say anything about that right now. Help from forensics is taken to collect whatever evidence is available. Our investigation is proceeding in that manner. There is an investigative procedure. Accordingly, we will take them before the honourable court. Based on our investigation, we will make a request to the court at that time. It will be done according to the normal routine procedure," he further added. (ANI)
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