New Delhi, Feb 5 (PTI) A Delhi court has acquitted a former student of a private institute who was accused of attempting to kill the institute's managing director, saying the prosecution had failed to prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Additional Sessions Judge Sumedh Kumar Sethi was hearing the case against Dishant Singh, who was accused of threatening to kill the owner and managing director of the institute at gunpoint.
In an order dated February 3, the court said, "Considering the totality of facts and circumstances present on record, this court is of the opinion that the prosecution has failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that accused Dishant Singh was involved in the commission of offences with which he is charged."
According to the prosecution, Singh, a former student of the institute, entered managing director Dimple Khanna's office on May 1, 2015, abused her, caught her by the neck and threatened to kill her with a loaded country-made pistol, after being rusticated from the institute.
He was allegedly overpowered by staff members and handed over to police along with the weapon.
An FIR against Singh was registered at the Shahdara police station and charges were framed under Indian Penal code (IPC) sections 307 (attempt to murder) and 506 (criminal intimidation) and sections 25 (punishment for offences) and 27 (punishment for improper use) of the Arms Act.
The court noted that the prosecution had failed to establish a clear motive and intention of the accused in committing the crime.
"The court is constrained to disregard the sole piece of medical evidence showing an abrasion on the neck of the complainant as proof of intimidation as this piece of evidence cannot be chosen to be considered in isolation," the judge said.
The court also noted the contradictions in witness testimonies regarding how the incident unfolded, the manner in which the accused was injured and the recovery of the pistol.
A key witness, an institute staffer who allegedly snatched the weapon from the accused, could not be examined despite repeated efforts and was eventually dropped from the list of witnesses.
"The absence of the central witness and glaring discrepancies in the prosecution version create a serious doubt about what actually transpired," the judge said.