10 April,2026 04:19 PM IST | Thane | mid-day online correspondent
The case largely depended on two dying declarations made by the victim. Representational Pic/File
A court in Maharashtra's Thane district has acquitted a speech-impaired woman accused in 2020 murder case, citing serious inconsistencies in the evidence presented by the prosecution.
The judgment, delivered on April 8 and made available on Friday, stated that the prosecution failed to prove the case beyond reasonable doubt.
The 48-year-old accused, Kamal Chandrakant Kanoja, a resident of Vikramgad in Palghar district, was charged with pouring kerosene on Amita Gotarna and setting her on fire on October 27, 2020 that allegedly led to her death, according to the PTI.
The deceased was her would-be daughter-in-law, the news agency reported.
The victim, who lived with the accused family, suffered 72 per cent burns and later died at Nashik Civil Hospital.
The case largely depended on two dying declarations made by the victim. One statement, recorded by police, implicated the accused. However, another declaration recorded by a magistrate stated that the incident was accidental and mentioned that "nobody was present" at the time.
The court observed that these conflicting versions weakened the prosecution's case significantly.
The defence argued that the dying declarations may have been influenced by interested witnesses, including the victim's father and brother.
The court also noted that the medical officer who allegedly certified the victim fit to give a statement was not examined during the trial.
The judge further observed that chemical analysis reports did not conclusively link the accused to the crime. The possibility of the victim being influenced could not be ruled out, the court said.
Concluding that the prosecution had failed to establish guilt beyond reasonable doubt, the court ordered the immediate release of the accused woman.
Meanwhile, in an another case, a court in Thane district of Maharashtra has acquitted eight men accused of attempting to murder a cop in 2016, citing the victim's inability to identify the assailants and key prosecution witnesses turning hostile, PTI reported.
In her judgment delivered on April 6, Additional Sessions Judge V L Bhosale granted the benefit of the doubt to the accused, observing that the prosecution had failed to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt. A copy of the order was made available on Wednesday.
According to the prosecution, police constable Bhaskar Sonavane was assaulted with sticks and beer bottles outside a bar in the city's Upvan area on April 21, 2016.
As per the news agency, the attack allegedly stemmed from a dispute between the hotel management and a customer named Kamlesh, whose brother Arun reportedly led a group of 10-15 people to the spot.
Sonavane, who was at the location to meet an informant, suffered a skull fracture and brain injuries in the assault, the court was told during the trial.
According to PTI, the eight accused had been facing charges of attempted murder under the Indian Penal Code.
The court noted that the constable was unable to identify any of the accused as the assailants, as the incident took place at night, and he lost consciousness after being struck on the head.
Additionally, hotel partner Rajesh Shetty and manager Naveen Gouda, the original complainant, turned hostile, the judge observed.
"Having regard to all the evidence on record, I find that the prosecution has failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the accused persons committed the offences," the court said, acquitting all eight accused, PTI reported.
(with PTI inputs)
