Pune: The court of Additional Sessions Judge Aniruddha Sulbha Subhash Gandhi has acquitted a 30-year-old watchman, from Nepal, who spent over five years in jail in his wife’s murder case, on Thursday.“The prosecution fails to prove that it is a case of homicidal death. On the contrary, there is sufficient reason to hold that the deceased died due to accidental injury,” the judge observed. He added that in a case based on circumstantial evidence, the prosecution must first establish that the death was homicidal.The prosecution alleged that the accused had pushed his wife against a wall and banged her head against it with an intention to kill her. However, evidence showed that after she suffered injuries, she was taken to multiple hospitals, including Sassoon, YCM, Divine and Ayush, in an effort to secure treatment.The court noted that the accused had maintained from the beginning that his wife had been injured in a motorcycle accident. A witness also testified that the accused’s father sought Rs 4,000 from him for her treatment, saying that the couple had met with an accident. Medical records from Ayush Hospital recorded the history as a head injury sustained in a road accident.The prosecution’s medical evidence also failed to conclusively establish the manner in which the injuries were caused. The prosecution had relied on an alleged extra-judicial confession as well as evidence of an earlier assault. The court, however, found shortcomings in this evidence, including the absence of any complaint or medical record concerning the alleged earlier assault.The judge also observed, “If the accused had actually dashed the victim’s head against the wall with the force alleged, the wall should have contained biological evidence, particularly human tissue.”The court held that the chain of circumstances was not established beyond reasonable doubt and gave the accused the benefit of doubt. It ordered his release forthwith if he was not required in another case.The judge also noted that the accused had been behind bars for about five years, had lost his employment or business and would have to face society after his release. The court held that he was entitled to compensation under a Maharashtra govt notification dated Aug 18, 2026, and directed that the judgment be sent to the District Legal Aid Service, Pune, for further compliance.
