In his order on Tuesday, Principal District and Sessions Judge S B Agrawal said the case against Aasif Shabbir Khan lacked direct eyewitnesses and that it depended on a child's testimony, which was inconsistent
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A court in Maharashtra's Thane district has acquitted a 33-year-old man accused of throwing two children from a building, killing one of them, reported news agency PTI.
In his order on Tuesday, Principal District and Sessions Judge S B Agrawal said the case against Aasif Shabbir Khan lacked direct eyewitnesses and that it depended on a child's testimony, which was inconsistent, reported PTI.
According to case papers, Khan allegedly threw five-year-old Sayyad Zohan Hussain and four-year-old Zenab Ansari from the second floor of a building in the Kausa area in February 2023. While Sayyad died, Zenab survived, reported PTI.
The prosecution's case primarily rested on Zenab's testimony and her disclosure to her mother. The children reportedly called the accused "phatakewala uncle" because he had distributed crackers to them during Diwali.
However, Judge Agrawal noted that the case had no direct eyewitnesses and relied heavily on the word of a child witness whose testimony became inconsistent under cross-examination, reported PTI.
The Thane court pointed out a suspicious delay in reporting the incident and "the FIR itself appears to be an outcome of a concocted story".
Judge Agrawal also took into account the defence's submission that the building's construction was incomplete and that the children may have fallen accidentally, reported PTI.
The Thane court concluded that the prosecution had failed to prove the guilt of the accused beyond reasonable doubt and ordered that Khan be released forthwith.
Thane woman, brother get bail in case of sexually assaulting her minor son
In another case, a Thane court has granted bail to a woman and her brother arrested on charges of sexually assaulting her 10-year-old son, reported PTI.
The case was registered based on information provided by the father of the victim, who lived with his mother at Lokmanya Nagar in Maharashtra's Thane city following his parents' separation, reported PTI.
The child was allegedly sexually assaulted by his maternal uncle and mother since 2021.
The case was registered after the victim contacted a child helpline on July 30 this year.
The boy's mother and uncle were arrested on August 7 under relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) Act, 2015, reported PTI.
(With inputs from PTI)
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