Pravin Mahajan passes away

Pravin’s death brings to an end the murky chapter in the Mahajan family, which caught national headlines and shook political establishment, particularly the BJP.

Pravin, 50, was on parole after completing two years of jail term to attend his ailing wife. But on the very last day of the parole period, he had suffered brain haemorrhage and was admitted to Jupiter Hospital on December 11, 2009. He later slipped into coma. Pravin was on life support system and was struggling for life but failed to recover at the Jupiter Hospital where he was admitted, a close aide of the family said.

In a dramatic murder that shocked the country, Pravin had shot his brother Pramod Mahajan on April 22, 2006, at the latter’s house in Worli in Central Mumbai. The high-profile BJP leader died later on May 3.

Pravin had confessed to the crime before the police immediately after the incident, but during the trial, he changed his version. His lawyers even tried to paint a picture of unintentional firing during what they described as a scuffle between the two brothers.

The sessions court, however, relied on the prosecution’s evidence and sentenced Pravin to life imprisonment for fratricide on December 18, 2007. He was lodged in the Nasik Central Jail. He was released on a 14-day parole on November 27.