Thane court acquits woman, mother-in-law of murder due to lack of evidence

Additional Sessions Judge A N Sirsikar said the prosecution had failed to prove the charges against the two women, identified as Savita Santosh Jadhav and her mother-in-law Vatsala Baban Jadhav .

The copy of the order dated March 4 was made available on Friday.

As per the prosecution, the two women killed one Gita Kadam on May 9, 2017, after she got into a relationship with Savita’s husband and came to stay in their house and claimed that she had died by suicide.

Defence lawyer M I Z G Shaikh argued that there was no direct evidence linking the two women to the crime. The defence highlighted several inconsistencies in the prosecution’s case. It also pointed out that Gita’s body was discovered in a locked bedroom and that the accused had no legal obligation to immediately report the death.

“It is not proved conclusively that the deceased and accused were residing in the same house where death was caused,” said Judge Sirsikar. The call data records were not properly presented as evidence, making it difficult to establish Gita’s whereabouts or the role of the accused, the judge said.

The court also noted that Gita’s brother had claimed he had spoken to her on the day of her death, but subsequent witness statements did not align with his timeline. It found no credible witness testimony proving that the accused had the intent or opportunity to commit murder.

The court acknowledged that the accused did not report Gita’s death immediately but ruled that fear and the absence of male family members at home could explain this delay. “This ground alone is not sufficient to prove the factum of murder,” said the judge.

The court held that the prosecution had failed to establish the guilt of the accused guilt beyond a reasonable doubt and acquitted the duo.

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