India, June 18 -- The Bombay High Court on Wednesday issued notices in connection with the 2021 murder of 19-year-old Jhanvi Kukreja to her childhood friend and acquitted accused Diya Padalkar and the state government, seeking their response to the deceased's mother's plea challenging the acquittal.

In a petition filed in March, Jhanvi's mother Nidhi Kukreja contended that Padalkar was actively involved in her daughter's murder and her acquittal was "erroneous and illogical" as the trial court failed to properly assess the cumulative weight of circumstantial evidence and misapplied the legal standard of "benefit of doubt".

Jhanvi was found lying in a pool of blood on the staircase of a multi-storeyed building in Khar in the early hours ...