Maharashtra: Thane court acquits two in MSRTC driver assault case citing lack of evidence

The prosecution examined four witnesses, including the victim and the bus conductor. Representational Pic

A court in Thane district, Maharashtra, has acquitted two individuals accused of assaulting a state transport bus driver following a dispute, citing insufficient evidence.

According to the news agency PTI, Additional Sessions Judge G. T. Pawar acquitted Jay Anil Deshmane and Rahul Dadasaheb Kheradkar of charges under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, which included assault on a public servant and voluntarily causing grievous hurt. Furthermore, a copy of the order dated November 26 was made available on Friday.

As per the first information report (FIR) filed on January 20, 2021, MSRTC driver Madhav Ambadas Waghmare alleged that the accused, following a dispute over overtaking a scooter, boarded his bus near Suraj Water Park and assaulted him, resulting in a fractured thumb.

The prosecution examined four witnesses, including the victim and the bus conductor. However, Judge Pawar noted that the prosecution failed to examine the depot manager to establish whether the complainant and conductor were on duty at the time of the incident, reported PTI.

Additionally, the investigating officer did not question eyewitnesses or record statements from independent witnesses, leading to the acquittal of the duo.

Thane court acquits man accused of killing woman in 2019 due to lack of evidence

In another case, a court in Thane district of Maharashtra acquitted a 33-year-old man accused of murdering a woman in 2019, observing that there was "hardly any evidence" connecting him to the crime, reported the PTI.

Principal District and Sessions Judge S. B. Agrawal, in a judgment delivered on Monday, acquitted Abrar Mohmmed Aslam Shaikh of charges under sections 302 (murder) and 201 (destruction of evidence) of the Indian Penal Code, as per the PTI.

According to the prosecution, Shaikh allegedly killed the woman in a forested area near the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway on January 15, 2019 by hitting her with a stone. They claimed she had pressured him to marry her and threatened to reveal their supposed extramarital affair to his family. Her body was later found partially burnt in Ghodbunder village.

Shaikh's lawyer, Sagar Kolhe, challenged the prosecution's version and highlighted several inconsistencies in their case.