The Mumbai Sessions court on Wednesday acquitted three accused who hatched a plan to kill a leading English daily’s journalist after he referred to the gangster as 'chindi chor' (small fry) in his news report.

Special court judge A L Pansare acquitted the accused Madanchand Govind Sonkar alias Raju Francis (28), Ashutosh Verma (23), Rambahadur Chavan (28) and discharged the fourth accused Abdul Shaikh (48), who turned approver in the case.