Summary: Manohar Ketkar, accused of killing his wife in 2013, was found not guilty by the High Court of Bombay at Goa. The case, which used indirect evidence, failed to show he was guilty without any doubt.
Manohar Ketkar was found guilty by the Additional Sessions Judge at Mapusa in 2024 for the murder of his wife, Manisha Ketkar. The incident happened on November 18, 2013, and he was sentenced to life in prison and a fine.
Indirect Evidence: The court found the evidence not strong enough to show he was guilty. The case relied a lot on indirect evidence, which did not clearly show Ketkar was guilty.
Supposed Confession: The alleged confession to his son over the phone was not backed up by phone records, making the prosecution's case weaker.
Motive and Running Away: While Ketkar was suspected of doubting his wife's loyalty, this was not enough to show he had a reason to do it. His running away after the incident was not seen as definite proof of being guilty.
Judges Valmiki Menezes and Shreeram V. Shirsat decided that the evidence presented did not fully prove Ketkar was guilty without any doubt. They stressed that just suspecting someone, no matter how much, cannot replace solid proof.
The court canceled the conviction and ordered the return of the fine paid by Ketkar.
