The Mumbai High Court has granted conditional bail to Vaishnavi Hagawane’s mother-in-law Lata Hagawane, brother-in-law Sushil Hagawane and family friend Nilesh Chavan in the case concerning her death at her matrimonial home in Bhukum, Mulshi taluka, Pune district. The three accused were granted bail on personal bonds of Rs 25,000 each.
A bench led by Justice Milind N. Jadhav directed the accused to cooperate with the investigation and barred them from tampering with evidence or influencing or threatening witnesses. They must also remain regularly present before the court during the trial, according to the report by Lokmat – Pune.
While granting bail, the court clarified that bail does not amount to an acquittal. It also observed that, at the prima facie stage, there did not appear to be sufficient evidence of specific acts connected to abetment of suicide. The observation concerns the material available at the bail stage and does not determine the final outcome of the case.
Vaishnavi Hagawane died on 16 May 2025 at her in-laws’ home in Bhukum. She was reported to have died by suicide. Her family subsequently accused members of her matrimonial family of subjecting her to dowry-related harassment and physical and mental abuse. The allegations led to public anger in Pune and other parts of Maharashtra.
The police had arrested her husband Shashank Hagawane, mother-in-law Lata Hagawane, sister-in-law Karishma Hagawane, father-in-law Rajendra Hagawane, brother-in-law Sushil Hagawane and family friend Nilesh Chavan in connection with the case. The latest order concerns bail applications by Lata Hagawane, Sushil Hagawane and Nilesh Chavan, as identified in the report.
The case has also drawn attention to an earlier complaint made before Vaishnavi’s death. Her sister-in-law Mayuri Jagtap had complained to the State Women’s Commission on 6 November 2024 about alleged harassment within the Hagawane family. The Commission directed Paud police to take action on 7 November, according to the report. Social activist Anjali Damania later alleged that effective action had not been taken on the complaint.
Following Vaishnavi’s death, the State Women’s Commission took suo motu cognisance of the matter on 19 May 2025. Then chairperson Rupali Chakankar sought an inquiry from Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis into the action taken on Jagtap’s earlier complaint and the alleged delay in the investigation.
The court’s bail conditions place continued obligations on the three accused while the case proceeds. The questions surrounding the earlier complaint, the police response and the investigation remain part of the wider institutional scrutiny arising from Vaishnavi’s death.
