Five acquitted in 32-year-old murder case over torn records, lack of evidence

Thane, Oct 3 (PTI) A sessions court in Maharashtra’s Thane district has acquitted five persons accused of killing a man 32 years ago, citing missing and deteriorated documents and the inability of the prosecution to secure reliable witnesses.

The Additional Sessions Judge at Kalyan, P F Sayyad, delivered the judgment on September 26, a copy of which was made available on Friday.

According to the prosecution, one Lucky Premchand Bhatia was assaulted with sharp weapons at Samrat Ashok Nagar on December 16, 1992, and subsequently died.

Suresh Dinanath Upadhyaya, Gautam Mahadev Gaikwad, Mohiddin Siddhique Khan, Kanahayya Basanna Koli, and Kumar Chetumal Nagrani were shown as accused in the case.

The trial faced significant hurdles, primarily stemming from the long delay. All five accused remained absent after being released on bail, necessitating non-bailable warrants and a proclamation order in September 2024.

The judge found the key documents, including witness statements and the chargesheet, in a torn condition. The postmortem report was not available in the records.

The prosecution was able to examine only two witnesses, but the testimony of one of them was deemed unreliable as he had Parkinson’s disease, the judge noted.

Acquitting the five accused, the court said the prosecution had failed to establish their guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. PTI COR NR