PANJIM, SEPT 22
Two men were acquitted by a Panjim Court of threatening over phone to kill one Joaquim Rebello.
Prosecutor had charged Shoukat Shaikh and Nooruddin alias Noor Mohammad, both residents of Betim of abusing and verbally threatening to kill the complainant.
The threat was basically to refrain complainant Rebello from deposing against the pair in a case of attempted murder, forming unlawful assembly and other offences of Indian Penal Code.
The duo represented by Adv Swapnil Nasnolkar argued that there was no concrete evidence to prove the guilt. Judicial Magistrate First Class acquitted the accused for lack of evidence.
“There is no iota of evidence to convict the accused. Prosecution has not proved the ingredients of threatening and threat to kill charges,” the court ordered.
The prosecutor earlier examined four witnesses but the court was not convinced with the testimony to prove the guilt of the accused. JMFC ‘C’ Court Shabnam Shaikh observed, “It is common experience that when rustic people have some quarrel or difference amount themselves they generally hurl insulting abusive and/or filthy words against each other. Merely from the use of such words in heated moments it cannot always be said that those words were used with the requisite intention of threat…”
