Bengaluru (Agency): A Delhi court has acquitted 11 men previously accused in connection with the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, granting them the benefit of the doubt due to unproven charges. The decision was delivered by Additional Sessions Judge Pulastya Pramachala, who stated that the allegations against the defendants were not substantiated beyond reasonable doubt.
The case pertained to accusations of unlawful assembly, arson, and theft at a property in Ganga Vihar on February 24, 2020. The individuals acquitted included Ankit Chaudhary alias Fauzi, Sumit alias Badshah, Pappu, and eight others, all of whom were charged based on claims of participation in riotous acts.
During the trial, the court found that the prosecution’s case was weak, hinging on the testimony of two police assistant sub-inspectors, Jahangir and Mahesh, who claimed to recognize the accused. However, their accounts were deemed unreliable. Jahangir, despite identifying the accused as part of the riotous group, did not act on this information for ten months, which the judge found improbable and suggested that he might have been coached on whom to accuse.
Mahesh’s credibility was also questioned as he stated that he informed the investigating officer about the identities of some accused ten days after the incident, but his statement was never officially recorded—an oversight that the court found implausible under the circumstances.
The court further noted that the initial chargesheet filed by the investigating officer was based solely on the accused’s disclosure statements, which are not considered admissible evidence in court. Additionally, the prosecution failed to provide any video evidence of the incident, further weakening their case.
The judge stated that the prosecution could not conclusively prove that the accused were part of the mob responsible for the riots, resulting in their acquittal.