I still love her and want to marry her,” says 81-year-old Chandrashekhar Madhukar Kalekar, who was acquitted on Thursday in a 48-year-old attempt-to-murder case. Kalekar was arrested in October 2025 by the Colaba police for allegedly stabbing his girlfriend in 1977 and then vanishing after securing bail.

Out of 15 witnesses in the case, 10 had died, and the remaining five could not be traced. The court eventually contacted the victim, now 80 and living in the US, over a video call. She told the court that Kalekar never stabbed her and refused to identify him, leading to his acquittal. Kalekar told mid-day he is grateful to her. “I want to thank her. I still love her and want to marry her,” he said.