MUMBAI, Feb. 4 -- Two days after a Mumbai sessions court sentenced 26-year-old Shree Jogdhankar to life imprisonment for the murder of his friend, 19-year-old Jhanvi Kukreja, the prosecution said it was not just forensic and circumstantial evidence but the accused's conduct after the crime that proved decisive in securing the conviction. Jogdhankar was found guilty of killing Jhanvi in the early hours of January 1, 2021, following a New Year's Eve party at a multi-storeyed building in Khar. The court, however, acquitted the co-accused and the victim's childhood friend, Diya Padalkar, 24, citing lack of cogent evidence. While delivering the verdict, additional sessions judge Satyanarayan Navander underscored that Jogdhankar's behaviour after the incident "played a vital role" in establishing his guilt. "The entire circumstances and the conduct of accused No 1 unequivocally show his culpability," the judge observed. A copy of the judgement, delivered on Saturday, became available on Tuesday. According to the prosecution, the three were among several friends attending a terrace party on December 31, 2020. Witnesses told the court that Jhanvi, who was in a relationship with Jogdhankar, became upset after seeing him flirt with Diya Padalkar. She left the terrace crying and headed towards the staircase, with Jogdhankar and Padalkar following her. An argument ensued while they were descending the stairs. Forensic evidence revealed a scuffle beginning around the eighth floor, with bloodstains and strands of hair found from the fifth floor onwards. The court concluded that Jogdhankar pushed Jhanvi from the second floor, causing fatal injuries. Testimonies showed that the trio left the terrace around 1.40 am and within 15 to 20 minutes Jhanvi was found lying in a pool of blood. Jogdhankar was seen leaving the building at 2.03 am with a torn shirt and visible injuries. Instead of raising an alarm or seeking help, the court noted, he left the premises, called a friend, went home, and abandoned his scooter at the building. He allegedly concealed his injuries from friends and doctors and showed a "cold and indifferent" reaction when informed that Jhanvi had been found critically injured. His failure to explain how he sustained multiple injuries led the court to infer that they were caused during the scuffle with the victim. Rejecting his plea of innocence, the judge held that the prosecution had proved his role beyond doubt. Padalkar, though present at the scene, was acquitted. The court noted that apart from a minor lip injury, she had no other marks of violence, nor were her clothes bloodstained or torn. "The absence of such injuries makes her involvement in the fatal assault doubtful," the court ruled, granting her the benefit of doubt....