A court in Maharashtra’s Thane district has acquitted 2 men, Rahul Bharat Bhise (36) and Datta Bhujang Misal (39), in a murder case dating back to 2019, ruling that the prosecution failed to establish guilt through circumstantial evidence.
Both men had been in judicial custody since their arrest shortly after the crime.
Details Of The Case
The case concerns the death of Sagar Das, whose body was found with injuries in the Kashimira area of Thane on September 28, 2019. The prosecution’s case relied heavily on circumstantial evidence, claiming Bhise and Misal were last seen with Das after consuming alcohol the previous night. Bloodstained clothes belonging to the victim were reportedly recovered from Bhise’s house.
However, Additional Sessions Judge A.N. Sirsikar found the prosecution’s chain of evidence unconvincing. The judge noted that key witnesses, including Das’s wife, mother-in-law, and a neighbor, did not support the prosecution’s claims.
Weaknesses In The Prosecution’s Case
The court highlighted several gaps in the evidence. Although CCTV footage showed Misal purchasing liquor near the time of the incident, it was never presented to witnesses who could confirm the accused’s identity. Furthermore, chemical tests on the bloodstains found on Bhise’s pants failed to confirm that the blood belonged to the deceased.
“The blood group of the deceased could not be ascertained,” the judge said, weakening the prosecution’s argument.
Additionally, the court observed that the victim had a criminal background and strained relations with multiple individuals. This left open the possibility that others could have been responsible for the murder.
“Therefore, the possibility that somebody else might have committed the murder cannot be totally ruled out,” Judge Sirsikar concluded before acquitting both men.
In a different case, a Thane court acquitted a 36-year-old woman accused of murder in 2018. Principal District and Sessions Judge S.B. Agrawal emphasized that suspicion alone cannot replace proof beyond a reasonable doubt.
The prosecution alleged that the woman strangled the victim with a cloth, assaulted him with a sharp weapon targeting his private parts, and struck him with a brick. The victim’s decomposed body was discovered wrapped in a sheet inside a locked house in Sainagar on Ghodbunder Road, Thane, on March 19, 2018.
The woman was later traced to Bengaluru. Both had previously worked together at a cycle store in Bengaluru and later in Thane’s Kasarwadavli area. The prosecution claimed the two were in a relationship from 2016 to 2018, which soured over marriage disputes.
Despite the allegations, the court ruled that the evidence presented was insufficient to prove her guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
“Suspicion howsoever strong cannot take place of proof,” Judge Agrawal stated in his order passed on Monday.
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