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Trio Acquitted in Banned Gutka Seizure Case by Thane Court
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News18•04-10-2026, 20:00
Trio Acquitted in Banned Gutka Seizure Case by Thane Court
- •A Thane district court acquitted three individuals accused of dealing in banned gutka and paan masala.
- •Judge R M Rathod ruled that the prosecution failed to establish the charges against Kamlesh Brijshankar Upadhyay, Vinod Mataprasad Mishra, and Rajesh Mataprasad Mishra.
- •The court found charges under IPC sections 328 and 188 to be legally unsustainable.
- •The application of the Food Safety and Standards Act was also struck down as the prosecution could not prove the products were adulterated or poisonous.
- •The case stemmed from a 2022 raid in Bhayandar, Palghar district, where banned products worth nearly Rs 42,000 were seized.
Key Questions Answered
A Thane sessions court acquitted the trio because it found the charges pressed under the Indian Penal Code to be legally unsustainable and determined that the prosecution failed to establish the charges.
Authorities booked Kamlesh Brijshankar Upadhyay, Vinod Mataprasad Mishra, and Rajesh Mataprasad Mishra under Indian Penal Code sections 328, which relates to causing hurt by means of poison, and 188 for disobedience to a public servant's promulgated order.
The court struck down the application of the Food Safety and Standards Act, ruling that the prosecution failed to prove the seized items were adulterated food or that the accused were selling any poisonous substances.