India, March 18 -- A sessions court has acquitted a 45-year-old Santacruz resident in a rape case, noting that the prosecution failed to prove the charges and that the evidence on record was inconsistent and unreliable.

The accused, who had been in custody since his arrest on May 20, 2019, was acquitted by additional sessions judge Mahesh K. Jadhav of the Mumbai Sessions Court on Monday. The court directed that he be released immediately if not required in any other case.

According to the prosecution, the case stemmed from a complaint by a 33-year-old woman, who suffered from epilepsy and partial physical disability. She had alleged that her neighbour had called her to his house in a Santacruz chawl on May 18, 2019 and sexually assaulte...