The North Goa Special Court has acquitted Socorro residents Viraj Pirankar and Jitendra Halankar of charges including assault, criminal intimidation and caste-based abuse under the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The trial court ruled that the prosecution had failed to prove the charges beyond reasonable doubt after the complainant and a key witness declined to support the allegations during the trial. The case arose from an incident alleged to have occurred on the evening of November 14, 2021, near a bar in Lima Waddo, Socorro. According to the initial complaint filed at Porvorim Police Station, the accused had allegedly verbally abused complainant Rohan Volvoikar and his friend Lakhan Kaskar, assaulted Volvoikar, damaged his wife’s mangalsutra and clothing, and brandished a koita. Halankar was further accused of using derogatory caste slurs against Kaskar, who belongs to a Scheduled Caste community. Charges were subsequently framed for voluntarily causing hurt, causing grievous hurt, intentional insult, criminal intimidation and mischief, along with offences under relevant sections of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. During the trial, the prosecution examined three witnesses: complainant Rohan Volvoikar, Lakhan Kaskar and investigating officer DySP Vishwesh Karpe. The prosecution’s case weakened when Volvoikar told the court that he did not wish to pursue the matter, citing his desire to maintain cordial and peaceful relations with the accused, who live in his immediate neighbourhood. He testified that he had voluntarily decided not to pursue the case and that there had been no external coercion, force or monetary settlement. Crucially, neither Volvoikar nor Kaskar supported the allegations in the original complaint or testified about any acts that could substantiate the charges or the alleged caste-based offences. The court noted that the investigating officer’s testimony was limited to procedural formalities and the filing of the chargesheet, leaving no incriminating evidence on record. Finding that there was no evidence to establish the accused’s guilt, the court acquitted Pirankar and Halankar of all charges.