Mohsin Shaikh murder case: Pune court acquits Hindu outfit leader, 19 others

Pune: A sessions court has acquitted Hindu Rashtra Sena (HRS) leader Dhananjay Desai and 19 others in the June 2, 2014 murder of IT professional Mohsin Shaikh during the violence.

The Defence lawyer advocate Milind Pawar who was representing Dhananjay Desai said that all the accused were acquitted on Friday as the evidence on record was not strong enough.

“All 20 accused including Dhananjay Desai have been acquitted by the Session court today citing lack of evidence,” he said.

The defence lawyer further said that the prosecutor failed to prove the charge of “criminal conspiracy” on which police had arrested.

“We had argued in the court that Dhanajay who was allegedly part of a group who had beaten Shaikh was in Yerwada jail on the date of the incident in a different case, but Police have accused and arrested Dhanajay Desai on the charge of criminal conspiracy but Public Prosecutor failed to prove the case,” he further said, adding that the witnesses in the case failed to identify all the accused saying there were dark during the incident.

Mohsin Shaikh, 28-year-old was killed by a mob during the violence which had erupted at Unnatinagar and adjoining localities in Hadapsar over an objectionable post on social media.

The case dates back to June 2014 when Shaikh was returning home with a friend after offering evening prayers when he was randomly targeted and attacked by the mob and attacked with hockey sticks and cricket bats. Later, he succumbed to his injuries at a hospital.

Police had booked 22 people, including two minors, in the case. The two minors were acquitted earlier. The remaining 20 accused were acquitted on Friday.

Additional sessions judge SB Salunke of the Pune session court pronounced the order.