LUCKNOW, Nov. 7 -- The CBI court in Lucknow on Friday acquitted underworld don Om Prakash Srivastava alias Bablu Srivastava in a 1998 case involving the kidnapping of the owner of Hotel Lington in Kolkata, holding that the CBI had failed to prove the charges against him.

According to the prosecution, Srivastava was the mastermind behind the kidnapping conspiracy, even though he was lodged in Naini Central Jail in Prayagraj at the time. The CBI had alleged that he was running his gang from inside the jail and had orchestrated the abduction through his associates.

The court, however, held that the prosecution had failed to prove that Srivastava was operating his gang from Naini Jail or was directly involved in the kidnapping.

The prosecu...