Thane, May 30 (PTI) A court in Maharashtra's Thane has acquitted an elderly man and his two sons in a 2018 attempted murder case, citing various inconsistencies in the prosecution's evidence.
The order was passed by Additional Sessions Judge Amit M Shete on May 27 and made available on Friday.
The court acquitted Ramesh Chandrapal Chauhan (67) and his sons Arjun (35) and Amit (37) in the case registered against them at the Wagle Estate police station on August 13, 2018 based on the complaint lodged by the father of the victim Kunal Zanzot (then 20).
They were booked on the charges of attempted murder, voluntarily causing hurt, intentional insult and criminal intimidation. Another accused, Suresh alias Surya Jagan Chauhan, passed away during the trial.
The prosecution alleged that on August 10, 2018, following a dispute over a marriage proposal, the trio assaulted Kunal and his father, with Amit allegedly stabbing Kunal.
However, the court found discrepancies in the evidence.
The judge said that as per the statement recorded by the staff of the hospital where the victim was admitted he fell from bike on a highway in Mumbra.
"Another important aspect is that the prosecution has not examined neighbour Sunil Verma in order to clarify the history which was given to the hospital while admitting injured Kunal. In the absence of examination of key witnesses, adverse inference has to be drawn against the prosecution," it said.
The court concluded that the prosecution failed to establish its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
"As noted above, the witnesses are concealing material facts and therefore, a reasonable doubt arises regarding the prosecution version and its benefit needs to be extended to the accused," it said.