The State of Maharashtra vs Gajanan Raghunath Adhav (UTP) Advocate - खरात बी. एच — 155/2023

Case under Indian Penal Code Section 302,120B,498A,323,504,506,34. Disposed: Contested--ACQUITTED on 22nd April 2026.

Case disposed

Sessions Case

CNR: MHJN010015092023

Filing Number

760/2023

Filing Date

26-Apr-2023

Registration No

155/2023

Registration Date

27-Apr-2023

Court

District and Session Court , Jalna

Judge

1-Principal District and Sessions Judge

Decision Date

22-Apr-2026

Nature of Disposal

Contested--ACQUITTED

Last updated 14-Jun-2026

FIR Details

FIR Number

1

Police Station

Bhokardan

Year

2023

Acts & Sections

Indian Penal Code Section 302,120B,498A,323,504,506,34

Petitioner(s)

  1. 1.The State of Maharashtra

    Adv. KOLHE D N

Respondent(s)

  1. 1.Gajanan Raghunath Adhav (UTP) Advocate - खरात बी. एच

  2. 2.Yogesh Haribhau More

    Adv. काकडे ह. ता.

  3. 3.Kaushalyabai Raghunath Adhav

    Adv. खरात बी. एच

  4. 4.Aaruna Narayan Jadhav

  5. 5.Tarabai Bala Farkade

  6. 6.Mira Janardhan Chavan

  7. 7.Shila Janardhan Kondake

  8. 8.Gangadhar Shrirang Kolhe

Case History

  1. Case disposedDisposed

  2. 22-Apr-2026

    Copy of JudgmentView PDF

    Case Summary: State of Maharashtra v. Gajanan Raghunath Adhav Court: Sessions Court, Jalna Judge: V.M. Mohite Date: 22 April 2026 Case: SC 155/2023 Decision All eight accused were acquitted of all charges including dowry-related cruelty (§498-A), criminal intimidation (§506), insult (§504), voluntarily causing hurt (§323), murder (§302), causing death by negligence (§304-B), and criminal conspiracy (§120-B) of the Indian Penal Code. Key Facts - Deceased Kavita married accused No.1 (Gajanan) in April 2021 - Prosecution alleged systematic ill-treatment and harassment by the accused and his family members - On 31 December 2022, deceased died in circumstances involving a tractor; accused claimed it was a road accident Critical Findings 1. Weak Evidence on Cruelty: - Prosecution witnesses (brothers of deceased) provided only vague allegations about ill-treatment - No specific dates, instances, or corroborating evidence presented - Deceased herself never lodged formal complaints despite being a government employee - Inconsistencies between testimonies of the two brothers regarding the alleged November 2022 meeting 2. Inconclusive Medical Evidence: - Post-mortem examination could not definitively establish whether death was accidental or homicidal - Doctor admitted injuries could result from a motorcycle fall onto hard objects 3. Unreliable Witness Testimony: - PW-5 (Haridas Sable) claimed deceased phoned him expressing threat to her life, but failed to disclose this fact to family members or police at hospital despite discussions about the incident—suggesting fabrication - PW-6's evidence contradicted PW-5's account about how news of the accident was communicated - Deceased had daily phone contact with her brothers but allegedly called only a distant relative when threatened—deemed improbable 4. Significant Delay in FIR: - Complaint lodged 15+ hours after discovering the body (01 January 2023 at 15:38 hours) - No reasonable explanation for delay - Court noted this delay "proved fatal to the prosecution," allowing time for witnesses to fabricate murder narrative for a road accident 5. Lack of Direct Evidence: - No eyewitness to any alleged murder - Alleged conspiracy between accused No.1 and No.2 based only on phone call records—insufficient to establish criminal agreement - Accused No.1 was also injured and hospitalized for road traffic accident; no injury certificate produced for comparison Legal Principles Applied Court applied the *Sharad Biridhichand Sarda* doctrine on circumstantial evidence, requiring that circumstances must: - Be fully established (not merely suspected) - Be consistent only with guilt - Exclude every reasonable hypothesis except the accused's guilt - Create a complete chain of evidence Conclusion The court found the prosecution failed on all fronts: the alleged cruelty was unsubstantiated, the death's homicidal nature was unproven, and the conspiracy was purely speculative. The court concluded the accused likely lodged a false murder complaint to give "colour of murder to the incident which is purely an accident by giving it a thought." This case analysis is maintained by casestatus.in based on publicly available court records.

  3. 22-Apr-2026

    Disposed

    Principal District and Sessions Judge

  4. 06-Apr-2026

    Judgment

    Principal District and Sessions Judge

  5. 23-Mar-2026

    Arguments

    Principal District and Sessions Judge

  6. 16-Mar-2026

    Arguments

    Principal District and Sessions Judge

  7. 04-Mar-2026

    Arguments

    Principal District and Sessions Judge

  8. 20-Feb-2026

    Statement U/sec.313 Cr.P.C.

    Principal District and Sessions Judge

  9. 18-Feb-2026

    Evidence Part Heard

    Principal District and Sessions Judge

  10. 16-Feb-2026

    Evidence Part Heard

    Principal District and Sessions Judge

  11. 30-Jan-2026

    Evidence Part Heard

    Principal District and Sessions Judge

  12. 13-Jan-2026

    Evidence Part Heard

    Principal District and Sessions Judge

  13. 03-Jan-2026

    Evidence Part Heard

    Principal District and Sessions Judge

  14. 22-Dec-2025

    Evidence Part Heard

    Principal District and Sessions Judge

  15. 03-Dec-2025

    Evidence Part Heard

    Principal District and Sessions Judge

  16. 15-Nov-2025

    Evidence Part Heard

    Principal District and Sessions Judge

  17. 10-Nov-2025

    Evidence

    Principal District and Sessions Judge

  18. 04-Nov-2025

    Evidence

    Principal District and Sessions Judge

  19. 16-Oct-2025

    Evidence

    Principal District and Sessions Judge

  20. 01-Oct-2025

    Evidence

    Principal District and Sessions Judge

  21. 16-Sep-2025

    Evidence

    Principal District and Sessions Judge

  22. 04-Sep-2025

    Evidence

    Adhoc District Judge-1 Addl. Sessions Judge

  23. 25-Aug-2025

    Evidence

  24. 11-Aug-2025

    Evidence

    District Judge-3 and Additional Sessions Judge

  25. 28-Jul-2025

    Order

    District Judge-3 and Additional Sessions Judge

  26. 11-Jul-2025

    Order

    District Judge-3 and Additional Sessions Judge

  27. 25-Jun-2025

    Order

    District Judge-3 and Additional Sessions Judge

  28. 10-Jun-2025

    Order

    District Judge-3 and Additional Sessions Judge

  29. 27-May-2025

    Argument on Exh.____Ready

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  30. 13-May-2025

    Argument on Exh.____Ready

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  31. 29-Apr-2025

    Argument on Exh.____Ready

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  32. 21-Apr-2025

    Argument on Exh.____Ready

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  33. 19-Apr-2025

    Written Arguments

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  34. 11-Apr-2025

    Argument on Exh.____Ready

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  35. 08-Apr-2025

    Evidence

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  36. 26-Mar-2025

    Evidence

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  37. 12-Mar-2025

    Evidence

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  38. 27-Feb-2025

    Evidence

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  39. 14-Feb-2025

    Evidence

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  40. 31-Jan-2025

    Evidence

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  41. 18-Jan-2025

    Evidence

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  42. 04-Jan-2025

    Evidence

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  43. 21-Dec-2024

    Evidence

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  44. 07-Dec-2024

    Evidence

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  45. 28-Nov-2024

    Evidence

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  46. 16-Nov-2024

    Evidence

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  47. 06-Nov-2024

    Evidence

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  48. 23-Oct-2024

    Evidence

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  49. 09-Oct-2024

    Evidence

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  50. 26-Sep-2024

    Evidence

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  51. 13-Sep-2024

    Evidence

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  52. 31-Aug-2024

    Evidence

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  53. 19-Aug-2024

    Evidence

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  54. 13-Aug-2024

    Evidence

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  55. 12-Aug-2024

    Argument on Exh.____Ready

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  56. 08-Aug-2024

    Argument on Exh.____Ready

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  57. 05-Aug-2024

    Say / Hearing on Exh____Ready

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  58. 31-Jul-2024

    Order on Exh

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  59. 22-Jul-2024

    Filing of Say on Exh___Ready

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  60. 08-Jul-2024

    Awaiting Muddemal

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  61. 24-Jun-2024

    Order on ExhibitView PDF

  62. 24-Jun-2024

    Order on ExhibitView PDF

  63. 24-Jun-2024

    Awaiting Muddemal

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  64. 10-Jun-2024

    Argument on Exh.____Ready

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  65. 28-May-2024

    Argument on Exh.____Ready

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  66. 15-May-2024

    Argument on Exh.____Ready

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  67. 03-May-2024

    Argument on Exh.____Ready

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  68. 20-Apr-2024

    Argument on Exh.____Ready

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  69. 06-Apr-2024

    Argument on Exh.____Ready

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  70. 04-Apr-2024

    Say / Hearing on Exh____Ready

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  71. 27-Mar-2024

    Evidence

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  72. 14-Mar-2024

    Evidence

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  73. 01-Mar-2024

    Evidence

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  74. 22-Feb-2024

    Awaiting Muddemal

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  75. 09-Feb-2024

    Awaiting Muddemal

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  76. 29-Jan-2024

    Awaiting Muddemal

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  77. 25-Jan-2024

    Charge

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  78. 15-Jan-2024

    Charge

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  79. 04-Jan-2024

    Charge

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  80. 02-Jan-2024

    Charge

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  81. 22-Dec-2023

    Charge

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  82. 19-Dec-2023

    Charge

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  83. 06-Dec-2023

    Charge

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  84. 23-Nov-2023

    Charge

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  85. 10-Nov-2023

    Charge

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  86. 07-Nov-2023

    Charge

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  87. 26-Oct-2023

    Charge

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  88. 13-Oct-2023

    Charge

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  89. 07-Oct-2023

    Charge

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  90. 26-Sep-2023

    Charge

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  91. 16-Sep-2023

    Order on Exh

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  92. 05-Sep-2023

    Argument on Exh.____Ready

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  93. 23-Aug-2023

    Say / Hearing on Exh____Ready

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  94. 10-Aug-2023

    Charge

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  95. 28-Jul-2023

    Charge

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  96. 15-Jul-2023

    Charge

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  97. 14-Jul-2023

    Charge

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  98. 03-Jul-2023

    Charge

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  99. 20-Jun-2023

    Charge

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  100. 07-Jun-2023

    Charge

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  101. 25-May-2023

    Charge

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  102. 12-May-2023

    Charge

    District Judge-2 and Addl. Sessions Judge

  103. 29-Apr-2023

    First hearing

    Initial hearing scheduled

  104. 26-Apr-2023

    Case filed

    Registration No. 155/2023

casestatus.in Summary

Case Summary: State of Maharashtra v. Gajanan Raghunath Adhav Court: Sessions Court, Jalna Judge: V.M. Mohite Date: 22 April 2026 Case: SC 155/2023 Decision All eight accused were acquitted of all charges including dowry-related cruelty (§498-A), criminal intimidation (§506), insult (§504), voluntarily causing hurt (§323), murder (§302), causing death by negligence (§304-B), and criminal conspiracy (§120-B) of the Indian Penal Code. Key Facts - Deceased Kavita married accused No.1 (Gajanan) in April 2021 - Prosecution alleged systematic ill-treatment and harassment by the accused and his family members - On 31 December 2022, deceased died in circumstances involving a tractor; accused claimed it was a road accident Critical Findings 1. Weak Evidence on Cruelty: - Prosecution witnesses (brothers of deceased) provided only vague allegations about ill-treatment - No specific dates, instances, or corroborating evidence presented - Deceased herself never lodged formal complaints despite being a government employee - Inconsistencies between testimonies of the two brothers regarding the alleged November 2022 meeting 2. Inconclusive Medical Evidence: - Post-mortem examination could not definitively establish whether death was accidental or homicidal - Doctor admitted injuries could result from a motorcycle fall onto hard objects 3. Unreliable Witness Testimony: - PW-5 (Haridas Sable) claimed deceased phoned him expressing threat to her life, but failed to disclose this fact to family members or police at hospital despite discussions about the incident—suggesting fabrication - PW-6's evidence contradicted PW-5's account about how news of the accident was communicated - Deceased had daily phone contact with her brothers but allegedly called only a distant relative when threatened—deemed improbable 4. Significant Delay in FIR: - Complaint lodged 15+ hours after discovering the body (01 January 2023 at 15:38 hours) - No reasonable explanation for delay - Court noted this delay "proved fatal to the prosecution," allowing time for witnesses to fabricate murder narrative for a road accident 5. Lack of Direct Evidence: - No eyewitness to any alleged murder - Alleged conspiracy between accused No.1 and No.2 based only on phone call records—insufficient to establish criminal agreement - Accused No.1 was also injured and hospitalized for road traffic accident; no injury certificate produced for comparison Legal Principles Applied Court applied the *Sharad Biridhichand Sarda* doctrine on circumstantial evidence, requiring that circumstances must: - Be fully established (not merely suspected) - Be consistent only with guilt - Exclude every reasonable hypothesis except the accused's guilt - Create a complete chain of evidence Conclusion The court found the prosecution failed on all fronts: the alleged cruelty was unsubstantiated, the death's homicidal nature was unproven, and the conspiracy was purely speculative. The court concluded the accused likely lodged a false murder complaint to give "colour of murder to the incident which is purely an accident by giving it a thought." This case analysis is maintained by casestatus.in based on publicly available court records.

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