In a significant ruling on September 2, the Sessions Court in Thane, Maharashtra, acquitted three individuals accused of attempting to murder a driver from a ride-hailing service over seven years ago. The court, presided over by Additional Sessions Judge Amit M. Shete, cited a lack of sufficient evidence as the reason for the acquittal.
The incident, which occurred in March 2017, involved the brutal assault and kidnapping of a cab driver after he reportedly refused to take four passengers to Mumbra. The driver sustained severe injuries and required hospitalization for nearly two weeks.
The accused were identified by the police as Ravi Kishan Tiwari (28), Rajkumar Lobhaji Dole (27), Monnu, alias Vishal Maheshprasad Saroj (29), and Akshay, alias Chimnay Rajesh Ugvekar. Saroj remains at large, and Ugvekar passed away during the course of the trial.
During the trial, Additional Public Prosecutor Sanjay More presented the case against the accused. However, the defense, led by Advocate Ramrao Jagtap, contested the charges, arguing that there was no concrete connection between the accused and the alleged crime. Judge Shete highlighted several procedural errors made during the police investigation, including the baseless nature of the arrests and the failure to recover any incriminating evidence linked to the alleged crime.
