Mumbai, July 14, 2026: Gangster Ashwin Naik’s alleged aide, Dharmendrasing Rajendrasingh Choudhary alias Dharmesh, who was accused of actively participating in the conspiracy to murder Naik’s wife, was acquitted on Tuesday by the special MCOCA court even though he remains absconding.
Naik’s wife, Neeta, who was a corporator at the time, was shot dead on November 13, 2000, at 12.30 pm. It was initially claimed that unknown assailants entered her residence and opened fire on her. She was rushed to hospital but was declared dead on arrival.
Murder Conspiracy Allegations
The investigation revealed that Naik suspected his wife Neeta’s character, and the couple also had a dispute over certain monetary transactions. Hence, the prosecution claimed that Naik had hatched a criminal conspiracy to eliminate her.
According to the prosecution, Naik conspired with his close aide Kishore Rajput. Both Naik and Rajput, however, were acquitted, while Dharmesh remained absconding.
The special MCOCA Judge, Satyanarayan R. Navander, took up Dharmesh’s case under the newly added provisions of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), under which a trial can proceed in the absence of an absconding accused if he is represented by a lawyer.
The court appointed a lawyer from the Legal Aid Defence Counsel System and proceeded to hear the case against him even though he remains absconding.
The prosecution contended that Dharmesh was an active participant in the criminal conspiracy and had allegedly arranged arms and ammunition for the assailants and facilitated their travel and stay in Delhi and other places from time to time.
The prosecution claimed that Dharmesh had knowingly assisted in the execution of the conspiracy culminating in Neeta's murder. It alleged that he was one of the conspirators and played a vital role in facilitating the commission of the offence.
Court Finds No Evidence
The prosecution relied on the testimony of 22 witnesses, which had been recorded earlier during the trial of the other accused. After examining the evidence placed on record, the court observed, “A careful scrutiny of the evidence reveals that there is absolutely no material connecting the absconding accused, Dharmendra Singh, with the commission of the present offence. There is no evidence to show that he procured or facilitated the procurement of the firearms used in the offence, harboured the assailants, participated in the conspiracy, or otherwise rendered any assistance in the execution of the crime.”
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“Equally, there is no evidence to prove that he was a member of the organised crime syndicate allegedly headed by Naik or that he had acted in furtherance of the activities of such syndicate,” the court said while acquitting Dharmesh.
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