All five accused plead not guilty in Dabholkar murder case

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is conducting a probe into the case

All the accused booked for murder of rationalist Dr Narendra Dabholkar pleaded not guilty before a special court in Pune, which framed the charges against them on Wednesday.

The Special Court presided over by additional sessions judge S R Navandar framed the charges against the five accused - Virendra Sinh Tawde, Sachin Andure, Sharad Kalaskar, Vikram Bhave and Sanjiv Punalekar.

While Tawde, Andure, Kalaskar and Bhave faces sections 302 (murder), 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy), 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code, relevant sections of the Arms Act and section 16 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (punishment for terrorist act), Punalekar, a lawyer by profession, faces section 201 (causing disappearance of evidence or giving false information to screen offender) of the IPC.

All of them are linked to right-wing Sanatan Sanstha.

Dabholkar, 67, an anti-superstition activist, was shot dead on August 20, 2013, by two unidentified gunmen near Omkareshwar temple in Pune.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had taken over the case from Pune Police in 2014.

Tawde, appeared from Yerwada Central Jail through video conference, while Sachin Andure, appeared from Aurangabad jail and, Sharad Kalaskar from Arthur Road jail in Mumbai.

Two others -- Vikram Bhave and Advocate Sanjeev Punalekar, who are currently out on bail, were present in the courtroom.