Ajhar Manjoor Shaikh vs The State Of Maharashtra

ik-128811634 Bombay High Court 23 December 2025 • CRIMINAL APPEAL NO. 311 OF 2021; CRIMINAL APPEAL NO. 361 OF 2021; CRIMINAL APPLICATION NO. 1722 OF 2021 • 20 min read

Judges (2)

Mehroz K. Pathan Coram Sandipkumar C. More Delivered

Counsel (5)

A.B. Ghule Counsel Appellant A.V. Lavte Counsel Respondent Datta S. Kale Counsel Appellant N. B. Narwade Counsel Respondent T.W. Pathan Counsel Appellant

Parties (3)

State of Maharashtra Respondent Ajhar Manjoor Shaikh Appellant Nihal @ Baba Musraf Shaikh Appellant

Case Significance

Ajhar Manjoor Shaikh vs The State Of Maharashtra is a Bombay High Court decision dated December 23, 2025 (citation: ik-128811634). Two co-accused challenged their conviction under Section 364-A read with Section 34 IPC (kidnapping for ransom) and life imprisonment sentence imposed by the Additional Sessions Judge, Ahmednagar. The Court found the prosecution failed to establish guilt beyond reasonable doubt, noting the trial judge gave excessive credit to the victim's testimony while ignoring numerous suspicious circumstances suggesting a concocted story, and the investigating officer failed to fully establish the kidnapp The bench comprised Justices Mehroz K. Pathan and Sandipkumar C. More. The judgment was delivered by Justice Sandipkumar C. More. Counsel appearing: A.B. Ghule (counsel for appellant), A.V. Lavte (counsel for respondent), Datta S. Kale (counsel for appellant), N. B. Narwade (counsel for respondent), T.W. Pathan (counsel for appellant).

Summary

Two co-accused challenged their conviction under Section 364-A read with Section 34 IPC (kidnapping for ransom) and life imprisonment sentence imposed by the Additional Sessions Judge, Ahmednagar. The Court found the prosecution failed to establish guilt beyond reasonable doubt, noting the trial judge gave excessive credit to the victim's testimony while ignoring numerous suspicious circumstances suggesting a concocted story, and the investigating officer failed to fully establish the kidnapping. Both appeals were allowed and the appellants were acquitted.

What was the outcome of Ajhar Manjoor Shaikh vs The State Of Maharashtra?

Two co-accused challenged their conviction under Section 364-A read with Section 34 IPC (kidnapping for ransom) and life imprisonment sentence imposed by the Additional Sessions Judge, Ahmednagar. The...

Judgment

Read the full judgment on the official India Courts portal.

Read on Indian Kanoon

Source: Indian Kanoon (ik-128811634)