A Thane court acquitted a 21-year-old man in a 2018 murder case, highlighting the critical role of consistent eyewitness testimony and reliable evidence in criminal justice.
A court in Maharashtra's Thane district has acquitted a 21-year-old labourer accused of killing a man and injuring another in a 2018 knife attack, citing inconsistencies in the eyewitness testimonies.
Principal district and sessions judge S B Agrawal on Thursday granted the benefit of doubt to the accused, Suraj Shamraj Sahani, who had been arrested in December 2018.
The prosecution alleged that on the intervening night of December 30 and 31, 2018, Sahani stabbed Junaid Shakil Shaikh to death and injured Abhishek Singh with a knife near Ghodbunder Road following a dispute over a mobile phone.
However, the court found significant contradictions in the testimonies of the eyewitnesses, including the victim's brother, mother, and the injured friend.
While the brother and mother claimed to have rushed to the spot on foot, the injured witness testified that they had travelled on two-wheelers.
Judge Agrawal highlighted the failure of the prosecution to establish a clear timeline and the lack of independent witnesses despite the incident occurring in a public area.
Apart from the fact that no independent witnesses are examined, there are glaring inconsistencies in the evidence of these three witnesses that created doubt as to whether they were actually present at the time of the incident, he noted.
The court also took note of the delay in filing the first information report (FIR) and the fact that the medical history at the hospital initially mentioned "assault by unknown persons".
It also dismissed the recovery of the weapon, noting that the panch witness could not identify the accused in court or provide details about the location of its recovery.
The court ordered the immediate release of Sahani, who had undergone over seven years of detention during the trial.