Kalyan court acquits five accused in 2014 murder case after witnesses turn hostile

Thane: A court in Maharashtra's Thane district has acquitted five persons accused of attacking and killing a man in 2014, citing a lack of credible evidence as key witnesses turned hostile during the trial.

Additional sessions judge Mangala A Mote of the Kalyan sessions court acquitted Vasant Gulab Ubale (51), Piyush Ramesh Jagtap (40), Sandip Magan Pandit (45), Akshay Ramesh Jagtap (33), and Pravin Suresh Chikane (40) of charges under sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder) and other relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The sixth accused in the case passed away during the course of the trial, leading to the abatement of proceedings against him.

A copy of the order passed on April 24 was made available on Friday.

The incident took place on September 9, 2014, when a group of persons attacked three men with iron rods and wooden logs near Kasara railway station. The victim, Sachin Rongate, was killed in the assault, while two others suffered serious injuries.

A first information report (FIR) was registered, and the accused were arrested. The charges were formally framed in 2016, and the trial commenced in March 2025 after numerous delays.

Judge Mote noted that the prosecution's case fell apart entirely due to the unwillingness of witnesses to support their earlier statements.

"After going through the entire evidence of the prosecution, it reveals that during the pendency of the case, compromise had taken place between the parties, and nobody stated before the court in respect of the incident," she remarked.

The court also pointed out that the prosecution failed to bring on record absolute evidence to prove the accused's guilt.

"As the complainant and witnesses turned hostile, no incriminating material could be brought against the accused, hence recording their statement under section 313 of the Code of Criminal Procedure came to be dispensed with," the judge said.