Fri Oct 03 06:28:45 UTC 2025: Here’s a summary of the text and a news article based on it:

**Summary:**

A sessions court in Thane, Maharashtra, acquitted five men accused of murder in a 1992 case due to missing and damaged documents, unreliable witnesses, and the prosecution’s failure to prove their guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The trial was hampered by a 32-year delay, absconding defendants, and the deteriorated state of crucial evidence.

**News Article:**

**Thane Court Acquits Five in 1992 Murder Case Due to Lack of Evidence**

*Thane, Maharashtra – October 3, 2025* – A sessions court in Thane has acquitted five individuals accused of the murder of Lucky Premchand Bhatia in 1992. The acquittal, delivered on September 26th by Additional Sessions Judge P.F. Sayyad in Kalyan, comes after a trial plagued by missing and deteriorated documents, and the prosecution’s inability to secure reliable witnesses.

The prosecution alleged that Bhatia was assaulted with sharp weapons in Samrat Ashok Nagar on December 16, 1992, leading to his death. Suresh Dinanath Upadhyaya, Gautam Mahadev Gaikwad, Mohiddin Siddhique Khan, Kanahayya Basanna Koli, and Kumar Chetumal Nagrani were identified as the accused.

The trial faced significant setbacks due to the extensive delay. All five accused had absconded after being granted bail, requiring the issuance of non-bailable warrants and a proclamation order in September 2024.

Key documents, including witness statements and the chargesheet, were found to be in a torn and unusable condition. Critically, the postmortem report was missing from the court records. The prosecution only managed to examine two witnesses, with the testimony of one being deemed unreliable due to the witness suffering from Parkinson’s disease.

“The court determined that the prosecution failed to establish the guilt of the five accused beyond a reasonable doubt,” Judge Sayyad stated in the judgment. The lack of crucial evidence and the questionable reliability of the available testimony ultimately led to the acquittal. The 32-year-old case now remains unresolved.

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