Belapur Court Discharges Accused in 22-Year-Old Navi Mumbai Criminal Case

A 22-year-old criminal case originating from the Vashi police station in Navi Mumbai has concluded after a court discharged accused Ayaz Yusuf Sayad and others, citing a lack of evidence and the prosecution's failure to locate key witnesses.

The order was delivered on August 21, 2026, by SD Sonawane, 4th Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) in Belapur. The prosecution stemmed from a case registered at Vashi police station in 2004 and had remained pending for over two decades without the framing of formal charges.

The long-pending matter came up for review under the Bombay High Court's “Five Plus Zero” pendency-reduction initiative. This judicial drive specifically targets and prioritises the resolution of old court matters that have been pending for five, 10, 20, 30, and 40 years across the state.

During the proceedings, it was found that the prosecution had failed to produce sufficient material to frame charges against Ayaz Yusuf Sayad and the other accused individuals. Furthermore, investigators were unable to trace key witnesses necessary to advance the criminal prosecution.

Taking note of the lack of progress and missing evidence, Magistrate Sonawane observed that continuing to keep the case pending as a dormant file on the court roster would serve no useful purpose. Consequently, the Belapur magistrate court ordered the formal discharge of the accused, bringing the 22-year-old proceedings to a close.