In a remarkable conclusion to a legal saga spanning nearly five decades, a Mumbai sessions court has acquitted an 81-year-old man in a 1977 attempt-to-murder case. The acquittal came after the victim, who was brought as the prime witness, told the court she no longer remembered the alleged incident.
A Case Resurrected After Decades
The extraordinary chain of events began in 1977, when the Colaba Police in Mumbai registered a case against Chandrakant Kalekar. He was accused of attacking his then-girlfriend with a knife following a quarrel. The dispute reportedly erupted over Kalekar's suspicion that the woman was being friendly with another person.
Although Kalekar was granted bail shortly after the case was filed, he subsequently jumped bail and absconded. His disappearance led authorities to issue a non-bailable warrant against him in 1984. With the accused untraceable, the case file eventually became dormant, gathering dust for years.
The Arrest After 48 Years on the Run
The long-dormant case saw a sudden revival in October 2025. Acting on intelligence inputs and by scouring old voters' lists and other documents, the Mumbai Police managed to trace Kalekar to a village in the Ratnagiri district. The octogenarian was arrested, bringing a 48-year period of evasion to an end.
Given his advanced age, the court granted him bail just a few days after his arrest, considering it a ground for relief. This set the stage for a swift, two-month trial in the sessions court.
The Trial and the Witness's Memory Lapse
During the trial, the prosecution faced an insurmountable hurdle. The police successfully traced the victim in the case and presented her as a witness. However, she refused to support the prosecution's narrative.
The woman told the court that back in 1977, she was working in an accounts office in the Fort area of Mumbai. Crucially, she stated she does not remember the incident that allegedly happened to her that year and said she does not know the accused, Chandrakant Kalekar.
This testimony effectively dismantled the case against Kalekar. With the star witness turning hostile, the prosecution was left with insufficient evidence to prove the charges.
The Court's Verdict and Legal Outcome
In his ruling on December 4, 2025, the Additional Sessions Judge noted the witness's lack of recollection. The judge stated, "Resultantly, the star witnesses left loyalty towards prosecution. Therefore, the evidence against accused is insufficient to prove the charges levelled against him. Hence, I have no hesitation to hold that the prosecution failed to prove the charge against accused and accused is entitled to be acquitted."
Consequently, Chandrakant Kalekar was acquitted of the attempt to murder charge under Section 307 of the Indian Penal Code. The verdict brings a formal end to a criminal case that had remained unresolved for 48 years, outliving the memories of those directly involved.
The case highlights the challenges the judiciary and law enforcement face in prosecuting extremely old cases where evidence fades and witness recollections fail. It stands as a unique example of a legal process that extended across generations, ultimately concluding not with a finding of guilt or innocence regarding the 1977 event, but on the bedrock principle of requiring proof beyond reasonable doubt—proof that, in this instance, could no longer be furnished.
