Ahmedabad: Radio jockey (RJ) Krunal Desai, who was accused of abetting his wife’s suicide in Jan 2016, was acquitted by a sessions court on Wednesday. Tried on charges under Sections 306 and 498A of the IPC, Desai got the benefit of doubt after the prosecution could not establish its case. Additional sessions judge at the Ahmedabad rural court, S C Makwana, said in his order, “When the prosecution has failed to establish charges against the accused, and cannot prove its case beyond reasonable doubt, it is proper to grant the benefit of doubt to the accused.” According to the prosecution’s case, Desai and his parents were harassing and pressuring his wife, Bhumi, for dowry, and this allegedly led her to commit suicide within just two months of their marriage. Before killing herself, Bhumi sent an SMS to her friend Mitesh Soni, stating that she was going to commit suicide before jumping from a 10-storey building.Later, Bhumi’s mother, Kavita Panchal, lodged a complaint against Desai and his parents. Desai was arrested and spent 10 months in prison before he was granted regular bail.Defence lawyer Sanjay Thakkar said, “During the pendency of the case, Desai’s father passed away and the case against him was abated. The Gujarat high court stayed the criminal proceedings against Desai’s mother in 2017 in response to a quashing petition.“The trial court said that the proceedings against her would be subject to the final outcome of the quashing petition. The trial took place against Desai, and the court acquitted him by granting him the benefit of doubt.”
