State of Maharashtra Excise Department vs Manik Devappa Sathe — 32/2026

Summary The Palus First Class Judicial Magistrate court acquitted accused Manik Devappa Sathe of charges under Maharashtra Prohibition Act, Section 65(E) for allegedly possessing 36 bottles of illicit liquor, finding the prosecution failed to prove the case beyond reasonable doubt. The court noted critical evidentiary gaps, including that the panchnama (seizure record) witness testified he was not present during the alleged seizure and had no knowledge of the purported seized items, and no chemical analysis or corroborating witness statements were produced by the prosecution. Consequently, the court granted the accused unconditional acquittal with directions for proper disposal of seized materials after appeal period. This case analysis is maintained by casestatus.in based on publicly available court records.