A Pune court acquitted a 29-year-old man in a 17-year-old electricity theft case after the prosecution’s own witness admitted during cross-examination that the disputed electricity meter belonged to two other persons and had no connection with the accused.
Special Judge Anilkumar K. Sharma acquitted Laxman alias Nana Pralhad Salunkhe of charges under Sections 135 and 138 of the Electricity Act, 2003, in an order passed on October 1 regarding an alleged electricity theft detected in 2009 at Saswad.
According to the prosecution, testing on July 6, 2009 found that the meter was running 72% slow and an assessment found theft of 1,357 units of electricity. A case was registered, and the chargesheet was filed on March 2, 2010.
Defence advocate G.S. Limbekar argued that the accused had been falsely implicated and that no evidence linked him with the alleged meter tampering or electricity theft.
The court found a crucial contradiction in the prosecution case during the informant’s cross-examination. The witness stated that the disputed electricity meter belonged to two other persons and had no connection with Salunkhe.
“It is clear as broad daylight that the present accused has no nexus with the present crime,” Judge Sharma observed.
{{/usCountry}}“It is clear as broad daylight that the present accused has no nexus with the present crime,” Judge Sharma observed.
{{/usCountry}}The court held that the prosecution failed to produce “plausible, acceptable and believable evidence” establishing Salunkhe’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt and acquitted him under Section 235(1) of the Code of Criminal Procedure.