Archive · 23 Dec 2025
Thane Court Acquits Man in Stepmother Murder Case
A man named Shahanawaj Yunis Ansari was accused of killing his stepmother in Thane, Maharashtra.
The court found him not guilty because the police and prosecutors couldn't prove he did it.
They said the evidence was not strong enough.
The man's stepmother was found dead near a bridge.
The prosecutors said the man might have done it because he was upset with his stepmother.
But the court said the evidence was not reliable.
The court also said that the witnesses and the CCTV evidence were not good enough to prove the man was guilty.
So, the court decided to let the man go free.
Shahanawaj Yunis Ansari was accused of murdering his stepmother, Reshma Khatun Mohd Yunis Ansari, on May 28-29, 2020.
The prosecution alleged that the motive was harassment and a debt of Rs 90,000.
The court found significant gaps and contradictions in the prosecution's narrative.
The court dismissed CCTV evidence due to unreliable certification and vague testimonies from panch witnesses.
The prosecution failed to meet the legal standard for conviction based on circumstantial evidence.
- Who
- Shahanawaj Yunis Ansari, accused of murdering his stepmother Reshma Khatun Mohd Yunis Ansari
- What
- Acquittal in a murder case due to insufficient evidence
- When
- Incident occurred on May 28-29, 2020; judgment delivered on December 18, 2023
- Where
- Thane district, Maharashtra, India
- Why
- Prosecution failed to establish a complete chain of circumstantial evidence
- Accused
- Shahanawaj Yunis Ansari
- Victim
- Reshma Khatun Mohd Yunis Ansari
- Date of Incident
- May 28-29, 2020
- Location of Incident
- Near Saket-Kalwa bridge, Thane, Maharashtra
- Charges
- Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (Murder)
- Court's Decision
- Acquittal due to insufficient circumstantial evidence
- Date of Judgment
- December 18, 2023
- Judge
- Principal District and Sessions Judge S B Agrawal
