Nagpur: In a major setback to the prosecution, the Court of Additional Sessions Judge-6 has acquitted Aishwarya alias Priyanka Champati and her friend Mohammad Iklaq in the sensational 2019 Wadi double murder case, citing glaring loopholes and an incomplete chain of evidence.
The case pertained to the brutal killing of Aishwarya’s adoptive parents, Shankar Champati, a retired mine manager, and his wife Seema Champati, at their residence in Suraksha Nagar on April 14, 2019. While Shankar sustained severe head and neck injuries, Seema was found with multiple chop wounds, pointing to a gruesome attack.
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Delivering its verdict, the court observed that the prosecution failed to establish the case beyond reasonable doubt. It noted “missing links” in the chain of circumstances and ruled that “the chain of events is not complete.”
Crucially, the court held that the alleged presence of co-accused Mohammad Iklaq inside the house at the time of the murders could not be proven.
Prosecution’s conspiracy angle falls flat
According to the prosecution, the murders were the result of a calculated conspiracy driven by a relationship dispute and property motive. It was alleged that Aishwarya’s parents opposed her relationship with Iklaq and were planning to sell their Nagpur house and relocate to Pune, potentially impacting her inheritance.
The prosecution claimed that Iklaq supplied tranquiliser pills, allegedly mixed into a watermelon consumed by the victims. Once they were unconscious, Iklaq was said to have entered the house and carried out the killings using a sickle, hammer, and wooden log.
The case also hinged on an alleged extra-judicial confession made by Aishwarya to her cousin, Megha Chakravorty.
Defence exposes gaps in evidence
The defence team, comprising Advocates Ramesh Rawlani, Chetan Thakur, and Atul Rawlani, systematically dismantled the prosecution’s claims by highlighting critical inconsistencies.
They pointed out that:
• No traces of the alleged tranquiliser were found in the victims’ bodies
• CCTV footage failed to conclusively identify Iklaq
• Only a negligible blood stain was found on Iklaq’s clothes, insufficient to link him to the crime
• Several tenants residing in the same building were not investigated
The defence also questioned the credibility of the alleged confession, noting a two-day delay in recording the statement of the key witness.
Motive not convincing: Court
While acknowledging that the deaths were homicidal, the court emphasized that suspicion, however strong, cannot replace proof. It ruled that the prosecution failed to “exclude every possible hypothesis except the one to be proved.”
The court further observed that the alleged motive lacked strength, noting that Aishwarya was financially independent and could have pursued her relationship without resorting to violence.
Case ends in acquittal
With the prosecution unable to establish a complete and convincing chain of evidence, the court acquitted both accused, bringing an end to one of Nagpur’s most sensational murder trials, though leaving behind lingering questions over the investigation and the true sequence of events.
