Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday accepted Dhananjay Munde&rsquo;s resignation from the Council of Ministers. 
Munde was the minister of Food and Civil Supplies in the state government and his resignation comes amid escalating controversy around his close aide Walmik Karad being named as the mastermind in the murder case of Beed Sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh.
While accepting the resignation, CM Fadnavis said, &ldquo;Dhananjay Munde has submitted resignation to me. I have accepted his resignation, and for further action, it has been forwarded to the governor. Munde has been relieved from the minister&rsquo;s post.&rdquo;
Earlier in the day, Munde&rsquo;s personal assistant visited CM Fadnavis&rsquo; Sagar bungalow and submitted the resignation letter to the Chief Minister&rsquo;s Office.
Munde, who is diagnosed with Bell&rsquo;s Palsy (partial paralysis), did not come in person as he preferred to stay at the official bungalow.
The NCP legislator said on Tuesday that he has resigned from the Maharashtra cabinet due to his ill-health and went by his conscience. He also demanded strict punishment to those involved in the Beed sarpanch murder and case.&nbsp;&nbsp; 
In his post on X, Munde wrote in Marathi (loosely translated as), &ldquo;It has been my firm demand since day one that the accused in the brutal murder of the late Santosh Deshmukh of Massajog in Beed district should be given the strictest punishment. Seeing the photos that surfaced yesterday, I was deeply saddened. The investigation into this matter has been completed, and the charge sheet has been filed in the court. Also, a judicial inquiry is proposed. Going by my conscience and also considering my health, which has not been good for the past few days, the doctor has advised me to undergo treatment for the next few days, therefore, also for medical reasons, I have submitted my resignation from the cabinet to the Chief Minister.&rdquo;
The opposition staged a protest at the entrance of Vidhan Bhavan on Tuesday, demanding the resignation of Munde and Agriculture Minister Manikrao Kokate, who was convicted by the Nashik court in a fake documents case.
Although Munde was reluctant to tender his resignation, it was CM Fadnavis who prevailed over him and asked him to step down, especially when the chorus was increasing from ruling and opposition parties and various social organisations. 
His resignation comes a day after the photos and videos of Deshmukh&rsquo;s murder went viral on TV channels.
He was asked to resign days after the 1,800-page chargesheet filed by the state CID had named the Munde&rsquo;s close associate Walmik Karad as the mastermind in the broad daylight murder of Santosh Deshmukh in December last year.
The chargesheet has mentioned all eight accused, including Karad, though one accused Krishna Andhale is still missing.
Karad has already been booked under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act in connection with the extortion case, which was linked to the murder of Santosh Deshmukh.
Munde was under tremendous pressure to submit his resignation, but he and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) took the stand that he would resign after the findings of the investigations by CID, special investigation team and judicial committee. 
NCP President and Dy CM Ajit Pawar reiterated that the party has condemned the brutal killing of Massajog sarpanch, adding that it will take a call on Munde&rsquo;s resignation after probe and the court order. Ajit Pawar had reminded Munde that he had himself submitted his resignation on moral grounds in the past after he was targeted over the irrigation scam. Thereafter, the chief minister left the decision of Munde&rsquo;s resignation to Ajit Pawar.
The charge sheet was filed last week, along with matching voice samples of Karad and the company employees. CCTV footage showed the connection of the accused in the murder case with the extortion crime.
The police sources said that after a CID investigation with the help of about 180 witnesses, Walmik was named as the mastermind of the crime. 
Evidence was presented against eight accused, including Karad. The &lsquo;digital&rsquo; evidence in this investigation, conducted under the guidance of Investigation Officer Basavaraj Teli, was examined and prepared by the forensic laboratory.
In the extortion case, Walmik has been accused of being the mastermind behind the crime. It has been mentioned in the charge sheet that he said, &ldquo;End him as soon as he comes; otherwise, he will be forced to beg.&rdquo;
Among the accused, Sudarshan Ghule and his accomplices were involved in organised crime. The charge sheet states that he and his accomplices committed 11 crimes in 10 years in Kej, Ambajogai in Beed district and Dharur and Kalamb in Dharashiv district.
&mdash;IANS
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Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis (left) and Dhananjay Munde (right)

Implication of his aide in Beed sarpanch’s murder put pressure on the minister to step down

CM Fadnavis Accepts Munde’s Resignation

Implication of his aide in Beed sarpanch’s murder put pressure on the minister to step down

March 4, 2025 | 12:32 IST