High Court Acquits Man Convicted in Murder; After 10 Years
The Mumbai High Court has acquitted Dhananjay Rajaram Dighe, who was previously sentenced to life imprisonment by the Additional Sessions Court in Pune for the alleged murder of a woman in Guruwar Peth 10 years ago. Dighe had been convicted under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code and fined ₹7,000.
Editor 
Pune: The Mumbai High Court has acquitted Dhananjay Rajaram Dighe, who was previously sentenced to life imprisonment by the Additional Sessions Court in Pune for the alleged murder of a woman in Guruwar Peth 10 years ago. Dighe had been convicted under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code and fined ₹7,000.
Dighe, represented by Adv. Satyavrat Joshi and Adv. Ajinkya Madhukar Mirgal, challenged the conviction in the High Court under Section 374 of the Criminal Procedure Code. After reviewing the case, the High Court overturned the lower court's verdict, declaring Dighe not guilty and dismissing all charges.
According to the original case, the deceased, Rekha Jitendra Bhandari, and the accused lived in the same building. Rekha ran a xerox shop on the ground floor, while Dighe, who lived on the first floor, also opened a competing xerox business. Rekha had reportedly urged Dighe to consider another line of work, leading to disputes between them, with Dighe allegedly threatening her.
On April 5, 2014, Rekha’s husband returned home after work to help at her xerox shop. Around 7:30 p.m., he heard his wife crying for help and found her lying in a pool of blood on the staircase of their building. Dighe was allegedly seen stabbing Rekha with a large knife, witnessed by several other residents of the building. Despite rushing her to Kem Hospital, Rekha was declared dead before treatment could begin. This complaint was subsequently filed against Dighe.
In Dighe’s defense, Adv. Satyavrat Joshi argued that he was not present at the scene of the crime and questioned the reliability of the prosecution's witnesses. They also pointed out inconsistencies in the statements of the witnesses and noted that the post-mortem report did not conclusively link the knife used in the attack to the one seized by the police.
The Assistant Public Prosecutor opposed the appeal, insisting that the lower court's conviction was based on strong evidence. However, during cross-examination, the defense exposed discrepancies in the witness testimony and raised doubts about the weapon used in the crime. The High Court concluded that the prosecution failed to provide solid evidence linking Dighe to the murder, leading to his acquittal.
Accused Dighe, represented by senior Adv. Satyavrat Joshi and Adv. Ajinkya Madhukar Mirgal.
