Man acquitted in attempt to murder case after six years

Thane, Jan 16 (PTI) A court here has acquitted a 48-year-old film art director in a 2018 case of attempted murder, citing discrepancies in the evidence presented by the prosecution.

Sessions judge Amit M Shete passed the ruling on January 9, acquitting Sushant Niranjan Panda.

Panda was accused of attacking Arvind Ramratan Singh, the complainant, with a steel cutter on July 1, 2018, causing him injuries in the neck which required hospitalisation.

As per the First Information Report registered by Mira Road Police in the district, Singh and Panda had a late-night altercation over the strained relationship between Panda and Singh’s daughter.

The complainant’s daughter had been in a live-in relationship with the accused, the FIR said.

During the trial, the court noted contradictions in witness testimonies, particularly that of the complainant’s daughter whose account suggested that the altercation took place in the residential society’s common area and not inside Singh’s flat.

The court also criticized the prosecution for not examining crucial witnesses such as the society’s watchman and the complainant’s brother.

The prosecution failed to establish the accused’s guilt beyond reasonable doubt, the court held.