Pune, 15 July 2025: In a tragic case that shook the city, the Pune Police on Monday filed a 1,670-page chargesheet in the local court against 11 individuals in connection with the alleged abetment to suicide of 24-year-old Vaishnavi Shashank Hagwane. The accused include her husband, in-laws, and several others who allegedly mentally and physically harassed her for dowry, ultimately driving her to end her life on May 16 at her residence in Bhukum, Mulshi.
The chargesheet has been submitted to the court of Judicial Magistrate First Class Alisha Bagal. The police have asserted that they have gathered concrete evidence outlining the involvement of each accused in the case. Senior Inspector Anil Vibhute from Bavdhan Police Station stated that every person named in the chargesheet has a clearly defined role supported by documented proof.
According to the police, Vaishnavi's husband Shashank Rajendra Hagwane, along with her father-in-law Rajendra Tukaram Hagwane, mother-in-law Lata Rajendra Hagwane, sister-in-law Karishma Rajendra Hagwane, and brother-in-law Sushil Rajendra Hagwane, subjected her to sustained physical and psychological abuse over dowry demands.
Additionally, Nilesh Chavan from Karvenagar has been charged with illegally keeping custody of Vaishnavi’s child and threatening her relatives with a pistol. Further, Pritam Patil, Mohan alias Bandu Uttamrao Bhegade, Bandu Laxman Phatak, Amol Vijay Jadhav, and Rahul Dashrath Jadhav have been charged with harboring Rajendra and Sushil Hagwane after the incident.
While several of the accused have been granted bail by the court, including Pritam Patil, Mohan Bhegade, Bandu Phatak, Amol Jadhav, and Rahul Jadhav, others remain in judicial custody. Among them, Lata Hagwane, Karishma Hagwane, and Nilesh Chavan have applied for bail in the Sessions Court. The hearing on Nilesh Chavan’s bail plea is scheduled for Tuesday, July 15, while the applications filed by Lata and Karishma Hagwane will be heard on July 25.
Only after these bail hearings are concluded the court will move forward with the framing of charges and begin the trial proceedings. The state government has appointed Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwala Pawar to represent the prosecution in the case.
