A sessions court in Thane district of Maharashtra acquitted 11 people who were accused in a 2009 rioting and attempted murder case, citing weak evidence and failure to clearly identify the attackers, reported the PTI.

Principal District and Sessions Judge S B Agrawal on Monday acquitted the accused, as per the PTI.

The case against them was registered at the Shrinagar police station in Thane for the clash that took place on November 22, 2009 at Indiranagar in Wagle Estate area.

The accused, all residents of Wagle Estate in Thane city, had been charged following a clash that took place on 22 November 2009 in the Indiranagar area.

The case, filed at Shrinagar police station, involved charges under several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including attempt to murder (307), grievous hurt (326), rioting (147, 148, 143), and unlawful assembly with a common object (149), as well as provisions under the Maharashtra Police Act, according to the PTI.

The incident reportedly began with a neighbourhood dispute. One of the complainants, Anil Gyanchand Gupta, objected to the accused tying a rope between an electric pole and his house grill to dry clothes. The dripping water from the clothes was allegedly falling on a public bench installed by a local corporator, which led to an argument, as per the PTI.

The next day, the matter escalated.

According to the prosecution, the accused arrived with iron rods, aluminium strips, and wooden planks, and allegedly attacked Gupta and others.

A passer-by, Yogendra Negi, was also allegedly injured in the head.

In a 75-page judgment, the court found several inconsistencies in the prosecution`s version. One major issue was the failure to explain injuries sustained by the accused, which cast doubt on the claim that they were the sole aggressors.

The court also noted that no injury certificates for key witnesses were submitted, key witnesses, including the corporator and recovery witnesses, did not support the prosecution, witnesses were unable to clearly identify any of the attackers among the 20-25 people involved in the fight, the PTI reported.

Judge Agrawal remarked that it could not be established beyond reasonable doubt that the accused acted with a common intent or were the primary aggressors.

As a result, all 11 accused, including Prakash Kedarnath Bind, were acquitted.

(with PTI inputs)

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