Kalyan court acquits three in Atrocities Act case

Thane, Nov 14 (PTI) A court in Maharashtra's Thane district has acquitted three persons accused of passing a casteist slur, citing that the prosecution had failed to prove their guilt beyond a reasonable doubt due to a lack of evidence.

Judge P P Muley of the Kalyan sessions court acquitted Ravindra Malu Gadge (former sarpanch), Kashinath Tukaram Bhundere, and Shantabai Tukaram Bhundere of charges under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, the Protection of Civil Rights Act, and section 504 (intentional insult) of the Indian Penal Code.

A copy of the order dated November 3 was made available on Friday.

According to the prosecution, the incident occurred in Uchale village on February 2, 2006, when the trio allegedly rejected a contract proposal from the Ramai Mahila Bachat Gat, whose member belonged to the Scheduled Caste community, to cook meals for an aanganwadi.

The prosecution claimed the accused uttered a casteist slur while rejecting the proposal.

The court ruled that the prosecution failed to prove their guilt beyond a reasonable doubt due to a lack of evidence and the informant's lack of support.

The key witness "specifically denied the fact of giving caste-based abuses" and there was "no reference in the entire evidence of the informant regarding those abusive words", the court noted while acquitting the accused. PTI COR ARU