Lucknow, Dec 10 (IANS): It took 12 years for a man to get acquitted of the charges of stealing mangoes and attempting to kill the owner of the orchard.

Rashid Ali Beg, the owner of the orchard, had lodged an FIR at Malihabad police station in June 2008 alleging that Farid Pindari and Hafiz Abdul Rais had forcibly plucked mangoes from his orchard in Malihabad.

Beg alleged that the two tried to kill him when he objected to their stealing mangoes.

In the FIR, attempt to murder charges under Section 307 of the IPC (Indian Penal Code) were levelled against Farid Pindari and Hafiz Abdul Rais.

During the course of the legal battle, Hafiz Abdul Rais died and the case against him was closed.

In the judgment delivered here earlier this week, the additional sessions judge P.C. Kushwaha acquitted Farid Pindari of the charges of theft of mangoes and attempt to murder.

Kushwaha stated that the prosecution had failed to prove that Farid Pindari had forcibly stolen mangoes from the complainant's orchard or had tried to kill him

The investigating officer's (sub-inspector) report also pointed out that no gunshot was fired and no mangoes were stolen. The allegations were levelled due to personal enmity.