2024:BHC-AS:16373-DB J U D G M E N T Table of Contents (The soft copy of this judgment in PDF is bookmarked to facilitate navigation)

I. BACKGROUND OF THE CASE...............................................................................29 II. SUBMISSIONS OF THE APPELLANTS/ACCUSED.................................................31 - Mr. Sudeep Pasbola for A7 in Cri.Appeal/1080/2019...............................................31 - Mr. Sanjeev Kadam for A4 in Cri.Appeal/944/2013.................................................34 - Mr. Jagdish Shetty for A8, A10, A12 and A21 in Cri.Appeal/942/2013.................41 - Mr. Jagdish Shetty for A5 and A6 in Cri. Appeal/943/2020.....................................47 - Ms. Pradnya Talekar for A9 in Cri. Appeal/151/2021..............................................54 - Mr. Pendse for A11 in Cri. Appeal/707/2019...........................................................69 - Mr. Girish Kulkarni for A17 in Cri. Appeal/1490/2018...........................................72 - Mr. Nagraj Shinde for A20 in Cri. Appeal/86/2021.................................................76 - Mr. Ashwin Thool for the A18 in Cri. Appeal/1239/2019.......................................78 - Mr. Sushil Gaglani for OA2 in Cri. Appeal/104/2021..............................................82 - Mr. Prakash Shetty for A13 in Cri. Appeal/117/2019...............................................90 - Mr. Manish Mazgaonkar for A16 in Cri. Appeal/1493/2018:..................................93 - Mr. Dilip Sitaram Palande (A15) in-person in Cri. Appeal/1242/2018.....................97 - Mr. Waqar Pathan for A3 in Cri. Appeal/1038/2013..............................................110 III. S UBMISSIONS OF THE STATE ...........................................................................113 IV. ANALYSIS.............................................................................................................159 A. Sequence of events in detail.................................................................................159 i. C.R. No. 302/2006 registered at the behest of A9.............................................159 ii. C.R. No. 246/2009 registered after SIT was constituted..................................167 B. The Law on Circumstantial Evidence...................................................................182 C. Circumstances and Analysis of each of the circumstance.....................................185 i. FORMATION OF SQUAD..............................................................................190 ii. ABDUCTION.................................................................................................239 iii. ENCOUNTER/CUSTODIAL DEATH/MURDER..........................................362 a. On false FIR and Fabrication of Records/Evidence......................................364 b. Spot panchnama not recorded at the spot...................................................377 c. No meeting held by A9 in his cabin............................................................390 d. No prior information furnished to superiors by A9.....................................401 e. False station diary entries and documents...................................................411 f. Revolver and railway tickets planted on the deceased.................................420 g. Pool of blood not proportionate to injuries.................................................436 h. Map of Nana Nani Park falsifies the case of a genuine encounter................441 i. Empty found near Magnum Opus...............................................................445 j. Defence Witness..........................................................................................447 iv. BALLISTIC EVIDENCE/FORENSIC EVIDENCE..........................................454 a. Weapon History...……………………………………………………………….454 b. Allotment and Deposit of Arms and Ammunition in C.R. No. 302/2006....456 c. Investigation vis-a-vis the weapons...........