A Mumbai court has acquitted BJP leader and former Member of Parliament Gopal Shetty, along with party worker Ganesh Khankar, in a 2004 case related to the alleged assault and abuse of police officers, reported the PTI.

Delivering the verdict on July 19, Additional Sessions Judge Satyanarayan Navander noted that even the investigating officer failed to corroborate the claims made in the First Information Report (FIR). The detailed judgment became available on Thursday.

“In light of this, a serious doubt arises regarding the prosecution’s case… In the absence of cogent, consistent, and reliable evidence, both accused are entitled to the benefit of the doubt,” the court stated, as per the PTI.