Thane court acquits man accused of murdering stepmother

Thane, Dec 23 (PTI) A court in Maharashtra's Thane district has acquitted a 24-year-old man accused of murdering his stepmother, citing the prosecution's failure to establish a complete chain of circumstantial evidence.

Principal district and sessions judge S B Agrawal found Shahanawaj Yunus Ansari not guilty of charges under section 302 of the Indian Penal Code.

A copy of the order dated December 18 was made available on Tuesday.

According to the prosecution, Ansari allegedly murdered his stepmother, Reshma Khatun Mohd Yunus Ansari, on the intervening night of May 28 and May 29, 2020, near the Saket-Kalwa bridge.

It argued that the victim's harassment of Ansari and his siblings, and her failure to repay a debt of Rs 90,000 was the motive for the crime.

Judge Agrawal highlighted significant gaps and contradictions in the prosecution's narrative, terming the testimony of the victim's brother as unreliable.

The court also dismissed the CCTV evidence, noting that the technician who issued the certificate admitted to merely signing a document prepared by the police.

It further noted that the panch witnesses gave vague testimonies or admitted to signing papers at the police station rather than at the scene of recovery.

The prosecution could not meet the legal standard for a conviction based on circumstantial evidence, it concluded. PTI COR ARU