Thane Court Acquits Man Accused Of Murdering Girlfriend & Attempted Suicide, Citing Insufficient Evidence

Thane: A court in Maharashtra's Thane district has found a 42-year-old man, who was charged with fatally stabbing a woman and attempting suicide in 2019, not guilty, stating that the prosecution did not establish the case beyond a reasonable doubt.

On Wednesday, Principal District and Sessions Judge S B Agrawal freed Kundan Harekrishan Aacharya, who was charged under sections 302 and 309 of the Indian Penal Code.

The prosecution claims that on the afternoon of October 22, 2019, Aacharya assaulted the victim, Ankita Rawal, with a knife at his store in Bhayander East, and subsequently tried to end his own life by cutting his throat.

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It argued that Aacharya and Rawal were involved in a relationship, and he had pressed for marriage with her. The defense, however, contended that Rawal was the first to assault Aacharya and subsequently took her own life, and there were no witnesses to the events that occurred inside the shop.

Judge Agrawal emphasized that the prosecution's case depended entirely on circumstantial evidence, given that there were no witnesses to the occurrence inside the shop, and highlighted that the accused acknowledged being at the scene but provided a different account of what transpired.

The deceased woman's father did not support the love affair claim, stating the accused harassed her for marriage, while the mother altered her statement to police, asserting the victim was threatened. Medical officer Dr. Rohit Singh acknowledged the neck injury could have been caused by someone else, and the post-mortem revealed no defensive injuries according to report by HT. The court concluded that the prosecution did not meet the burden of proof, stating it remained unclear whether the accused assaulted the victim or if other events occurred.