THANE (Wednesday, April 8, 2026) — A local court in Maharashtra’s Thane has acquitted eight men accused of the attempted murder of a police constable in 2016. In her judgment delivered on April 6, 2026, Additional Sessions Judge V. L. Bhosale granted the accused the benefit of the doubt, noting that the prosecution failed to establish their guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The Incident: Assault Outside an Upvan Bar
The case dates back to April 21, 2016, and involved a violent altercation that left a law enforcement officer with life-threatening injuries.
- The Victim: Constable Bhaskar Sonavane, who was at the location in the city’s Upvan area specifically to meet a confidential informant.
- The Attack: Sonavane was brutally assaulted with wooden sticks and beer bottles outside a local bar. The assault resulted in a skull fracture and severe brain injuries, causing him to lose consciousness at the scene.
- The Motive: The prosecution alleged the attack was a fallout of a dispute between the hotel management and a customer named Kamlesh. Kamlesh’s brother, Arun, reportedly led a group of 10 to 15 individuals to the site to retaliate.
Judicial Reasoning for Acquittal
The court highlighted several critical failures in the prosecution’s case that led to the acquittal of the eight defendants.
| Factor | Court Observation |
| Identification | The victim himself could not identify any of the accused. He testified that the incident occurred at night and he lost consciousness immediately after the first blow to his head. |
| Hostile Witnesses | Key witnesses, including the hotel partner Rajesh Shetty and the manager Naveen Gouda (the original complainant), turned hostile during the trial. |
| Lack of Evidence | The court found no other corroborative evidence linking these specific eight individuals to the assault. |
“Having regard to all the evidence on record, I find that the prosecution has failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the accused persons charged in this case committed the offences,” Judge Bhosale stated in the final order.
Legal Context
The accused had been facing charges under Section 307 (Attempt to Murder) and other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), as the case was registered prior to the implementation of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Sources
- Press Trust of India (PTI): “Thane court acquits 8 in attempted murder of policeman in 2016” (April 8, 2026).
- The Week: “Thane court acquits 8 in attempted murder of policeman in 2016” (April 8, 2026).
- Mid-Day: “Maharashtra: Thane court acquits eight accused of attempting to murder cop in 2016” (April 8, 2026).
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