Mumbai Sessions Court Acquits 7 In Siddharth Nikam Murder Case, Citing Insufficient Evidence

Mumbai: The sessions court has acquitted a 26-year-old man and six associates who were prosecuted for the alleged murder of a 22-year-old man over previous enmity, holding that the evidence on record was insufficient to establish guilt beyond reasonable doubt.

The case stemmed from the death of Siddharth Nikam, who was found injured on a railway track between Matunga and Sion railway stations on February 24, 2022. He was taken to hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.

According to Nikam’s grandmother, Nanda, he had visited her house on February 23, 2022, and left around 9pm after dinner to meet friends. At 1am, his friend Raju Paswan informed her that Nikam had been assaulted and was lying near the railway tracks. She rushed to the spot. Following Nikam’s death, Dadar Railway Police registered a murder case on Paswan’s complaint.

During the investigation, police arrested Sundar Naidu, Vishal Chawariya, Himal Singh, Vishal Kakade, Ganesh Aavlallu, Laxman Jaiswar and Kalpesh Dongare. Relying on statements of Paswan and other witnesses, investigators alleged that Naidu had a prior dispute with Nikam and, with the help of the others, assaulted him fatally. Naidu’s lawyer, Prashant Gurav, denied the allegations.

The prosecution relied on Paswan’s testimony as an eyewitness and on CCTV footage. The court, however, declined to accept the evidence. It noted that although Paswan was allegedly present at the scene, the initial case had been registered by a police constable against unknown persons. The court also recorded allegations that Paswan was detained and tortured before his statement was taken, concluding that his testimony was unreliable and insufficient to complete the chain of circumstances, leading to the acquittal.

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