Eleven acquitted of armed rioting, attempt to murder charges

Eleven villagers from Sahapur and Khodala area of Mokhada taluka here, who were being tried for rioting and attempt to murder following an attack on a family in 2008, have been acquitted by a local court.
Thane Additional Sessions Judge A P Raghuvanshi set all the accused free yesterday after holding that the prosecution had miserably failed to prove them guilty.
The case relates to an incident where a mutton shop owner Abdul Rehman Maniar and his family were attacked with lethal weapons by a group of villagers in Khodala of Mokhada taluka five years ago.
According to prosecution, this was a fall out of an incident when brother of Rehman Maniar had gone to the house of one of the accused to ask for a CD which he had given to them.

But as the concerned person was not available at home he left after giving a message to his mother. This created a confusion among the two as a result of which the accused returned in the evening and picked up a quarrel with Maniar's father in the mutton shop, the court was told.
In the midst of the quarrel, the accused picked up a chopper knife and attacked the inmates including Maniar, his father and mother, the prosecution said.

The defence counsel Ramrao Jagtap in his argument dismissed the prosecution's version and said that the theory of a murderous attack is totally in contradiction of the medical report which states that the injury was due to an assault by hard and blunt object.

Moreover, the chemical analysis report of the blood stained cloths were not produced and parents of the complainant have not not been examined.
Further, the alleged incident took place just in front of the police station near their house but there was inordinate delay in lodging the complaint. All these factors defeat the prosecution theory, he told the court.
The court accepted the defence version challenging the entire prosecution and let off the accused persons.
A total of fourteen persons were arrested in the case and booked under various sections.
However, case against three accused was transferred to the juvenile court as they were minor and the rest 11 were tried in the sessions court.

Those acquitted of the charges of rioting with arms, and attempt to murder were: Prakash Namdeo Bhakare (20), Santosh Tukaram Gadve (24), Ravindra Dattu Pandit (21), Santosh Sakharam Sondnar (22), Sachin Pandurang Bhakare (20), Niteen Narayan Khare (20), and Sanjay Soma Bhagat (21), all residents of Kasara of Sahapur Taluka.
Also freed were: Namdeo Dattu Sarakate (30) Deoram Balu Patil (32) Janardan alias Janya Gangaram Patil (20) and Hanuman Dattu Sarakte (26), all of Khodala of Mokhada taluka.