A sessions court in Maharashtra’s Thane district has acquitted a 33-year-old man accused of throwing two young children from a building, an incident in which one child died. Principal District and Sessions Judge S B Agrawal observed that the prosecution failed to present any direct eyewitnesses. The case largely relied on the statement of a child witness, whose version was found to be inconsistent during cross-examination. The court noted that the evidence on record did not establish the accused’s guilt beyond reasonable doubt, leading to his immediate release from custody.
As per the prosecution, the accused had allegedly thrown five-year-old Sayyad Zohan Hussain and four-year-old Zenab Ansari from the second floor of a building in the Kausa area in February 2023. While Sayyad succumbed to his injuries, Zenab survived. The court highlighted a delay in lodging the complaint and remarked that the FIR appeared doubtful. Accepting the defence’s argument, the judge also considered that the building was under construction and the possibility of an accidental fall could not be ruled out.
In a separate matter, a Thane court granted bail to a woman and her brother, who were arrested on allegations of sexually assaulting her 10-year-old son. The case was registered on the complaint of the child’s father, after the minor approached a child helpline earlier this year. The accused were booked under provisions of the POCSO Act, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and the Juvenile Justice Act, following their arrest in August.