Maharashtra Court Acquits Man and Family in High-Profile Case

A court in Maharashtra's Thane district has acquitted a man and his two family members in a highly sensitive case of rape, cheating, and caste-based abuse, stressing the prosecution's failure to substantiate the charges. The decision, reached by Additional Sessions Judge A S Bhagwat, was disclosed on Tuesday.

The case involved Kaustubh Pravin Shinde, aged 30, who, along with his mother and brother, faced serious accusations dating back to 2022. The allegations, initiated by a 19-year-old woman belonging to an SC community, included charges of rape under the pretenses of marriage, deceptive behavior, and casteist abuse from the accused family members.

The court's ruling is likely to spark further discussion as it draws attention to the difficulties of prosecuting caste-related offenses in India, a country still grappling with deep-rooted social divisions. Despite the gravity of the allegations, the court emphasized the lack of concrete evidence, resulting in the acquittal of the accused trio.