NT Reporter
Panaji
The High Court of Bombay at Goa has acquitted Arjun Maruti Kazidoni, setting aside his conviction and life sentence in the 2020 Margao double murder case.
Kazidoni had been convicted by the South Goa Sessions Court in October 2024 for the murder of Basanna Bhimsi Gasti and Mutanna Siddappa Badigar, who were allegedly killed following a drunken altercation in Margao in 2020. Another person, Sunil Sawant, sustained serious injuries in
the incident.
Allowing Kazidoni’s appeal, the High Court found significant gaps in the prosecution’s
circumstantial evidence.
The court noted that the statement of an injured witness, who died of natural causes before the trial, was never tested through cross-examination.
It also held that the prosecution failed to establish the “last seen together” theory. The court further observed that DNA analysis of bloodstains found on the accused’s clothes did not match samples collected from the crime scene.
Holding that the evidence was insufficient to sustain the conviction, the High Court quashed the life sentence and acquitted Kazidoni of
all charges.
The High Court said the prosecution had failed to prove the charges beyond reasonable doubt.
