THE STATE OF KARNATAKA vs ARUN KESHAV NAIK, AGE 52 YEARS, R/O CHANDAVARA NAKA, CHANDAVARA, TQ-HONNAVAR — 569/2024

Case Summary: State of Karnataka v. Arun Keshav Naik (CC 569/2024) Decision: The court acquitted the accused Arun Keshav Naik of charges under the Karnataka Abkari Act, Sections 32 and 34, finding that the prosecution failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt. Key Reasoning: The court found critical weaknesses in the prosecution's evidence. The two main eyewitnesses (PW-1 and PW-2) testified that police did not produce any alcohol in their presence during the raid, contradicting the prosecution's narrative. Despite the investigating officer's testimony about the raid and seizure, the absence of corroborating testimony from the key witnesses who were present at the time created reasonable doubt about whether the accused actually possessed the liquor for illegal sale as alleged. This case analysis is maintained by casestatus.in based on publicly available court records.