# Ramprasad Versova, Mumbai Man vs Pradeep Rameshwar Sharma and Anr.

HTML version: [https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2024-0004](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2024-0004)

## Report card

By judgment dated 19 March 2024 in Criminal Appeal Nos. 854 of 2013 and 350 of 2015 with connected appeals, the Bombay High Court (Coram: Revati Mohite Dere, Gauri Godse, JJ.) recorded the conviction of 13 police personnel, namely: Pradeep Rameshwar Sharma (Police Inspector); Nitin Gorakhnath Sartape (Assistant Police Inspector); Sandip Hemraj Sardar (Police Constable); Tanaji Bhausaheb Desai (Police Constable); Pradeep Pandurang Suryawanshi (Police Inspector); Ratnakar Gautam Kamble (Police Constable); Vinayak Balasaheb Shinde (Police Constable); Devidas Gangaram Hari Sakpal (Police Constable); Anand Balaji Patade (Police Sub-Inspector); Dilip Sitaram Palande (Assistant Police Inspector); Pandurang Ganpat Kokam (Police Naik); Ganesh Ankush Harpude (Police Sub-Inspector); Prakash Ganpat Kadam (Head Constable).

- Register number: MH 01 CW 0039
- Case reference: Criminal Appeal Nos. 854 of 2013 and 350 of 2015 with connected appeals / 2024:BHC-AS:13217-DB; 2024 LiveLaw (Bom) 151
- Court and date: Bombay High Court (Coram: Revati Mohite Dere, Gauri Godse, JJ.), 19 March 2024
- Officer(s) at the material time: Pradeep Rameshwar Sharma (Police Inspector); Nitin Gorakhnath Sartape (Assistant Police Inspector); Sandip Hemraj Sardar (Police Constable); Tanaji Bhausaheb Desai (Police Constable); Pradeep Pandurang Suryawanshi (Police Inspector); Ratnakar Gautam Kamble (Police Constable); Vinayak Balasaheb Shinde (Police Constable); Devidas Gangaram Hari Sakpal (Police Constable); Anand Balaji Patade (Police Sub-Inspector); Dilip Sitaram Palande (Assistant Police Inspector); Pandurang Ganpat Kokam (Police Naik); Ganesh Ankush Harpude (Police Sub-Inspector); Prakash Ganpat Kadam (Head Constable)
- Present service status: Not ascertained from the cited sources.
- Provisions invoked: Section 120B of the Indian Penal Code, 1860; Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860; Section 364 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860; Section 365 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860; Section 368 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860; Section 344 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860; Section 201 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860; Section 119 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860; Section 109 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860; Section 34 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860
- Finding of the Court (extract): “We, in the facts, find that it is not possible to take any other view than the view taken by us, having regard to the overwhelming evidence adduced by the prosecution. Thus, the circumstances relied upon by the prosecution even …” (at para 488-489)
- Verdict, sentence and quantum: Conviction entered by High Court. Sentence: imprisonment.
- Present status of the proceedings: Supreme Court of India, 8 April 2024: appeal pending.
- Source orders: [Judgment / order (primary source)](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/86153079/); [Supreme Court of India order](https://www.livelaw.in/top-stories/fake-encounter-case-supreme-court-exempts-ex-mumbai-cop-pradeep-sharma-from-surrender-till-next-hearing-date-admits-appeal-against-conviction-254611); [Permanent link to this record](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2024-0004)

**Record:** CW-2024-0004 (compiler id CWC-0241); case SWFAKEEN-009; aliases: CWC-0950
**Title:** Ramprasad Versova, Mumbai Man vs Pradeep Rameshwar Sharma and Anr.
**Court:** Bombay High Court; judges: Revati Mohite Dere; Gauri Godse
**Case number / citation:** Criminal Appeal Nos. 854 of 2013 and 350 of 2015 with connected appeals / 2024:BHC-AS:13217-DB; 2024 LiveLaw (Bom) 151
**Judgment:** 2024-03-19 (2024, day precision)
**Incident date:** 2006-11-11 (2006)
**Place:** Mumbai Suburban, Maharashtra; city town: Versova, Mumbai; police station or unit: D.N. Nagar / Versova Police Stations; force: state_police
**Category:** Violence & unlawful detention
**Sub-category:** fake encounter extrajudicial killing
**Outcome:** Conviction entered by High Court (conviction_by_hc)
**Sections:** IPC 120B; IPC 302; IPC 364; IPC 365; IPC 368; IPC 344; IPC 201; IPC 119; IPC 109; IPC 34
**Officers (gated display forms):** Pradeep Rameshwar Sharma (Police Inspector); Nitin Gorakhnath Sartape (Assistant Police Inspector); Sandip Hemraj Sardar (Police Constable); Tanaji Bhausaheb Desai (Police Constable); Pradeep Pandurang Suryawanshi (Police Inspector); Ratnakar Gautam Kamble (Police Constable); Vinayak Balasaheb Shinde (Police Constable); Devidas Gangaram Hari Sakpal (Police Constable); Anand Balaji Patade (Police Sub-Inspector); Dilip Sitaram Palande (Assistant Police Inspector); Pandurang Ganpat Kokam (Police Naik); Ganesh Ankush Harpude (Police Sub-Inspector); Prakash Ganpat Kadam (Head Constable) (13 in record)
**Victims:** Versova, Mumbai man, age 33; Versova, Mumbai man (2 in record)
**Sentence / compensation:** imprisonment
**Sentence type:** imprisonment (imprisonment)

On 11 November 2006 a Mumbai Police squad led by encounter-specialist PI \[name withheld\] abducted Ramnarayan Gupta (Lakhan Bhaiya) and \[name withheld\] at Vashi, held them at Bhandup and D.N. Nagar police station, and shot Gupta dead in a staged encounter at Nana Nani Park, Versova, registering it as genuine (CR 302/2006). The trial court convicted 21 accused but acquitted Sharma; star witness \[name withheld\] was abducted and murdered in March 2011 before deposing. The Bombay High Court held the encounter fabricated on ballistic, CDR and false-record evidence, reversed Sharma's acquittal and sentenced him to life with concurrent terms, upheld the life sentences of 12 other policemen and one civilian, and acquitted six private accused for want of proof. Sharma's appeal was later admitted by the Supreme Court, which refused to suspend the conviction.

> We, in the facts, find that it is not possible to take any other view than the view taken by us, having regard to the overwhelming evidence adduced by the prosecution. Thus, the circumstances relied upon by the prosecution even qua OA1 form a chain, which is so complete and which unerringly points to the guilt of OA1 and excludes any hypothesis consistent with the innocence of the OA1.

**Sources (3):** [indiankanoon.org](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/86153079/); [livelaw.in](https://www.livelaw.in/high-court/bombay-high-court/bombay-high-court-mumbai-police-encounter-specialist-pradeep-sharma-acquittal-fake-encounter-case-lakhan-bhaiya-252769); [barandbench.com](https://www.barandbench.com/news/bombay-high-court-overturns-acquittal-former-cop-pradeep-sharma-fake-encounter-case)
**Verification:** V2 · Externally reported
**Review:** Solo Staff combined review (one combined attestation) — not yet recorded
**admin category:** brutality
**admin subcategory:** fake_encounter_extrajudicial_killing
**allegations:** {'category': 'Other', 'primary': True, 'position': 'Material fact supported', 'position_explainer': 'Reliable material supports a specifically documented fact relevant to that allegation, not necessarily the full allegation, causation, intent, unlawfulness, or responsibility.', 'official_finding_relation': 'supports allegation'}
**anonymised:** False
**court quote para:** 488-489
**display title redacted:** Ramprasad Versova, Mumbai Man vs Pradeep Rameshwar Sharma and Anr.
**followup history:** {'date': '2026-09-19', 'scope': 'Round-8 full re-verification: published record re-checked against the judgment text (outcome, officers, quote, key facts) plus methodology-compliance pass', 'method': 'skills-guided adversarial re-verification of the published record against the judgment text (reverify/t1-*/adversarial-8.jsonl)', 'result': 'holds', 'corrections_applied': \[\]}; {'date': '2026-09-25', 'scope': 'Audit fix: duplicate record CW-2024-0033 (same court, case number and judgment date) merged into this record; its sources are kept here and its URL redirects here.'}
**followup status:** checked
**institutional response:** {'date': '2024-03-19', 'action_type': 'Order issued', 'status': 'Concluded', 'authority': 'Bombay High Court', 'independence': 'External', 'legal_effect': 'Binding', 'description': 'The Bombay High Court entered convictions against police personnel in this judgment.', 'disposition': 'Conviction · Supports allegation', 'source': '2024:BHC-AS:13217-DB; 2024 LiveLaw (Bom) 151', 'recheck': 'Not yet re-checked.'}; {'date': '2024-04-08', 'action_type': 'Appeal pending', 'status': 'Pending', 'authority': 'Supreme Court of India', 'independence': 'External', 'legal_effect': 'Binding', 'description': "As of 8 April 2024, an appeal arising from this judgment was pending before the Supreme Court of India (officers: Anand Balaji Patade, \[name withheld\], Devidas Gangaram Hari Sakpal, Dilip Sitaram Palande, Ganesh Ankush Harpude, Nitin Gorakhnath Sartape, Pandurang Ganpat Kokam, Pradeep Pandurang Suryawanshi, Pradeep Rameshwar Sharma, \[name withheld\], Prakash Ganpat Kadam, Ratnakar Gautam Kamble, Sandip Hemraj Sardar, Tanaji Bhausaheb Desai, Vinayak Balasaheb Shinde); the judgment's findings had not been set aside on that date.", 'disposition': 'Later proceeding · Appeal pending', 'source': 'https://www.livelaw.in/top-stories/fake-encounter-case-supreme-court-exempts-ex-mumbai-cop-pradeep-sharma-from-surrender-till-next-hearing-date-admits-appeal-against-conviction-254611', 'recheck': 'Not yet re-checked.'}
**last checked:** 2026-09-25
**later proceedings:** {'court': 'Supreme Court of India', 'date': '2024-04-08', 'url': 'https://www.livelaw.in/top-stories/fake-encounter-case-supreme-court-exempts-ex-mumbai-cop-pradeep-sharma-from-surrender-till-next-hearing-date-admits-appeal-against-conviction-254611', 'outcome': 'pending_appeal'}
**link checked per url:** {'url': 'https://indiankanoon.org/doc/86153079/', 'link_checked': None}; {'url': 'https://www.livelaw.in/high-court/bombay-high-court/bombay-high-court-mumbai-police-encounter-specialist-pradeep-sharma-acquittal-fake-encounter-case-lakhan-bhaiya-252769', 'link_checked': None}
**retracted:** {"is_retracted": false}
**service:** police
**source assessment:** {"established": null, "basis": null}
**status:** current
**subcategory display:** fake encounter extrajudicial killing
**tier:** Tier A — Externally reported or officially recorded
**tier badge:** Externally reported
**tier history:** Tier A — Externally reported or officially recorded
**verdict:** accept
**verdict note:** Bombay HC convicted encounter-specialist Sharma (life) and upheld life terms of 12 other police in staged encounter.
**verification badge:** V2 · Externally reported
**verification status:** V2
**watch:** babuwatch

Status: Conviction entered by High Court.

[Open CW-2024-0004](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2024-0004)