Thane Court Acquits Trio Accused of Brutal 1994 Family Murders

In a surprising turn of events, a sessions court in Thane, Maharashtra has acquitted three men accused of murdering a woman and her four minor children back in 1994. The accused individuals - Sahablal Amarnath Chauhan (48), Vijay Ramavaidh (53), and Sanjay Ramavaidh (51) - were neighbors of the victims when the incident occurred at Marwad Chawl in Penkarpada of Kashimira area.

The bodies were discovered on November 16, 1994, inside a locked house. The victims' husband and father, Rajnarayan Shivcharan Prajapati, had filed a complaint against the three men, alleging a dispute stemming from an earlier incident where the elder brother of one of the accused had allegedly molested his wife. However, the judge stated that the prosecution failed to prove the accused were neighbors at the time and that the motive for the crime was not established.

Delivering the acquittal order on October 17, 2023, the judge observed that the prosecution's case relied entirely on circumstantial evidence, with no direct witnesses to the crime. The court also noted the "casual and unnatural" conduct of the complainant while recording his evidence. Ultimately, the judge concluded that the prosecution failed to establish the chain of circumstantial evidence connecting the accused to the murders.

The case had remained dormant for years until the arrests were made between 2022 and 2023. The court has now ordered the immediate release of the accused, who had been in custody since their arrests last year and earlier this year, unless required in other cases.