Mumbai: Nearly four decades after a knife attack case was registered in Sakinaka, a sessions court has acquitted a 58-year-old Mumbai resident who had been accused of being part of the group involved in the assault. The court cited the absence of convincing evidence while clearing the accused.

Additional Sessions Judge Amit A. Laulkar acquitted Nasir Ibrahim Dadan of charges of attempt to murder and causing grievous hurt. The case had remained pending for nearly 37 years, during which several key witnesses either passed away or could not be traced.

The incident occurred on September 30, 1987, when a group of accused persons allegedly attacked Manor Naidu with a knife in Sakinaka. The group was also accused of assaulting two others, identified as Sayyed Amir and Shankar Tayde, leaving them seriously injured. Police registered a First Information Report (FIR) the following day and subsequently filed a chargesheet in 1988.

Despite this, the trial began only decades later. During the long pendency of the case, two of the accused died, while another remained absconding for several years before eventually being arrested. Charges in the matter were framed only in August 2025, and the trial commenced in February 2026.

In its judgment delivered on Friday, the court observed that the prosecution’s case had weakened significantly because it failed to produce crucial witnesses. During the trial, only one witness, police constable Amit Chowdhary, was examined, and his testimony did not support the prosecution’s version.

The court noted that Chowdhary’s evidence was largely based on hearsay. It emphasised that in a case involving allegations of attempted murder, the testimony of the injured victims and the complainant was essential, but the prosecution failed to secure their presence before the court.

The judge further pointed out that other important evidence had not been proved during the trial. Medical reports and forensic material were not formally exhibited, and the investigating officer was also not examined.

In view of these shortcomings, the court held that the prosecution had failed to establish the charges beyond reasonable doubt.

“Material ingredients of offence posed against the accused are not proved beyond all probable doubts… no offence can be legally sustained without any credible evidence against the accused.”

The court subsequently acquitted Dadan and cancelled his bail bonds. It also disposed of the case against the absconding accused, noting that there was “not much evidence” to justify continuing the proceedings.

Mumbai: Shiv Sena leader and MLA Manoj Jamsutkar, while commenting on the budget in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, termed it a contractors’ budget and said that the way major projects have been included in the budget raises doubts that this is a budget for contractors instead of the general public. Doubts also persist over the loan waiver for farmers. Although a loan waiver of Rs 2 lakh has been announced, its implementation is still in doubt. Will the schemes implemented by the state government for farmers benefit them or not? He said that minorities have been completely ignored in the budget. No new schemes have been introduced for them. There is no mention of the problems of farmers in Nandurbar in the budget. He said that a major budget has been approved in rapidly developing Maharashtra. No special attention has been paid to other public issues including health, therefore, special attention needs to be paid to it and Jamsutkar has also demanded that minorities be given a share in the budget.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday said there is no shortage of LPG cylinders in the state and blamed the Congress for spreading panic that has led to long queues at distribution centres.

While addressing reporters in Chandrapur, the CM said, “The Opposition, especially the Congress, is creating panic among people, leading to unnecessary queues at LPG distribution centres. The Centre and gas companies have made it clear that there is no shortage of LPG. There is no need to fear or rush to outlets. People should make online bookings; the gas required by consumers is available.” “In our country, a sense of panic is being created by the Congress,” he added.

The CM’s statement came amid a time when visuals circulating on social media showed long queues of residents across Maharashtra, with people lining up as early as 3 am in the hope of securing LPG cylinders. The shortage has also led to the closure of many restaurants.

BMC canteen has come down to using more of electric stoves for cooking, while the IRCTC West Zone directed all catering licensees to immediately adopt alternative cooking methods, particularly electric-based operations such as microwaves and induction stoves across its network. The emergency measures specifically target static catering units, including Food Plazas, Refreshment Rooms, and Jan Ahaars.

In Navi Mumbai, residents in Sanpada queued up in crowds gathered outside a gas agency, carrying empty cylinders and forming long lines as they awaited deliveries amid fears of a shortage.

Earlier in the day, Congress MP Varsha Gaikwad also took to X (formerly Twitter), “There is a cylinder shortage. In the scorching heat, citizens are forced to queue for every single cylinder. Where are those who once thumped their 56-inch chests, claiming ‘Self-Reliant India’?” On the other hand, Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut slammed the Central and Maharashtra government, accusing them of spreading “a false narrative” and “engrossing” themselves in the election campaign rather than addressing the issue. Raut claimed that 40 per cent of the hotel industry has shut down due to the shortage, and people are queuing up while the government remains “silent”.