Thane court acquits man in 2021 assault case, states “evidence lacked substance”

Thane: A court in Maharashtra’s Thane district has acquitted a 35-year-old man accused of assaulting a person with a sickle in 2021, citing that the victim’s “cryptic” account of the attack and evidence lacked substance.

Principal District and Sessions Judge S B Agrawal on Thursday acquitted Jitendra Narayan Buddhivant, a resident of Ganesh Nagar, in the 2021 attempt-to-murder case.

The prosecution alleged that on the intervening night of Nov 7 and 8, 2021, Buddhivant attacked Pratik Chintaman Patil in the Manorama Nagar area over a previous grudge against him.

Judge Agrawal noted that Patil’s account of the attack was “quite cryptic in nature”.

Pointing out inconsistencies in the prosecution’s case, the court said, “The evidence of the informant ... is quite cryptic in nature inasmuch as it merely states that he was going on the motorcycle, when the accused stopped him and assaulted him with a koyta (sickle) without saying anything to him.”

The court further highlighted discrepancies between the victim’s testimony and that of an eyewitness, whose statement was recorded two months after the incident.

It noted procedural lapses and evidentiary gaps, including the non-examination of key individuals like the person who took the victim to the hospital.

The medical evidence also categorised the victim’s injuries as “simple”, further weakening the charge under Section 307 (attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code.

The court ordered the cancellation of the accused’s bail bonds and his immediate acquittal.