Court Acquits 11 in 2009 Thane Rioting Case Due to Prosecution Lapses

A court in Thane, Maharashtra, acquitted 11 individuals accused of rioting and attempted murder in a 2009 incident, citing prosecution evidence lapses. The case arose from a neighborhood dispute over drying clothes. Key deficiencies in the prosecution's case, including failure to identify aggressors, led to the acquittal.

In a significant legal verdict, a court in Maharashtra's Thane district has acquitted 11 people accused of rioting and attempted murder. The 2009 case involved a neighborhood squabble that escalated into violence, but the court found critical lapses in the prosecution's evidence.

The incident, which occurred in Wagle Estate, began with a dispute over clothes drying on a rope tied between a pole and a house grill. Tensions boiled over into violence, resulting in charges against Prakash Kedarnath Bind and others under several IPC sections.

Judge S B Agrawal emphasized the prosecution's failure to identify the initial aggressors and inconsistencies in witness testimonies. Absence of injury certificates and lack of corroboration by important witnesses further weakened the case, resulting in the acquittal of all 11 defendants.