Pune: Maharashtra Government Accused of Granting Gun License to Nilesh Chavan Despite Criminal Record
Pune, 4th June 2025: Nilesh Chavan, a suspect in the Vaishnavi Hagawane suicide case, was granted a gun license by the ministry despite Pune Police rejecting his initial application due to his criminal record, a police probe has revealed.
Nilesh Chavan had applied for a gun license with the Pune Police in 2022, but his application was rejected by the Pune City Police Commissionerate. Undeterred, Chavan subsequently appealed to the ministry, which eventually granted him the license.
Investigations now show that Chavan’s criminal history, including a 2019 assault case at Warje Police Station, a 2019 drunk driving case at Hinjawadi Police Station, and a May 2022 case of harassing his wife, also at Warje, was not disclosed in the report submitted to the ministry. At the time, Amitabh Gupta was Pune City Police Commissioner and Jalinder Supekar was Additional Police Commissioner.
Police records indicate that Chavan faced multiple charges: a assault case in 2009 (Warje), a drunk driving case in 2021 (Hinjawadi), and a harassment case in May 2022 (Warje, for allegedly filming his wife with a spy camera). Despite these, he was issued a gun license by the ministry in November 2022.
In May 2025, Chavan was booked by the Bavdhan Police in connection with the Vaishnavi Hagawane suicide case and for allegedly keeping her child and neglecting the infant. He was also charged under the Arms Act for allegedly pointing his licensed pistol at Vaishnavi’s family member. Chavan is now a co-accused in the Vaishnavi Hagawane suicide investigation.
During a raid at Chavan’s residence, police seized three mobile phones, a gun license, a pistol, and a passport. Notably, the mobile phones of Vaishnavi’s husband Shashank, mother-in-law Lata, and sister-in-law Karishma Hagawane were found at Chavan’s home.
