Trial woes: Man acquitted after year in jail TIMES NEWS NETWORK Mumbai:
A sessions court on Tuesday finally acquitted 26-year-old Sujan Mishra of all charges brought against him by the police. However, for him, the order came a year too late. Mishra, who was picked up by the police on January 23, 2007, had to spend more than a year behind bars, because he knew no one in the city who could help him file for bail and stay out of jail while his trial was pending in court.
According to the chargesheet, Mishra, a migrant worker, was arrested at CST on January 23, 2007 after people shouted out that a theft had taken place. Police constables said they saw Mishra and another man, Abdul Shaikh 25), running and chased them. Shaikh allegedly attacked constable Sachin Sansurkar with a chopper and injured him on his fingers.
Shaikh managed to escape, but Mishra was arrested by the police. He was booked under Section 333 of the IPC for “voluntarily causing grievous hurt to deter a public servant from his duty’’. Since there were two accused in the case, Mishra was booked for common intention to commit crime under Section 34 of the IPC as well.
Subsequently, Mishra was sent to Arthur Road jail. According to him, he was too poor to afford a lawyer and was represented by an advocate from the state government’s Legal Aid Service.
Mishra also said that he had no relatives in the city who could help him to file for bail, while his matter was pending in court. He therefore remained in prison, until his case was sent up for trial.
Mishra’s case was tried in a sessions case and the prosecution examined five witnesses, including Sansurkar, who was the complainant. However, the judge said there wasn’t enough evidence to show that Mishra had committed any crime and acquitted him of all charges on Tuesday. Shaikh, meanwhile, remains absconding till date.