12 accused in 2020 Delhi riots acquitted

Delhi court acquits 12 men accused of 2020 riots murders due to lack of evidence, WhatsApp chats deemed unreliable.

A court on Monday (March 31, 2025) acquitted 12 men accused of murdering two persons during the 2020 Delhi riots, saying there was no evidence on the record to show that any of them was a member of the mob.

Additional Sessions Judge Pulastya Pramachala observed that the WhatsApp chats of one of the accused confessing to the two murders was not “substantive evidence”.

According to the chargesheets, the victims, Aamin and Bhure Ali, were killed by rioters and their bodies were thrown into drains on February 25 and 26, 2020, respectively.

In two orders dated March 28, the court said that the prosecution’s evidence about the messages being exchanged by the accused confessing to the murders in a WhatsApp group could not be used as substantive or primary evidence.

“Such posts may be put in the group solely to become a hero in the estimation of other members of the group. It could also be a boast without truth. Therefore, the relied-upon chats cannot be substantive evidence to show that the accused, Lokesh Solanki, had actually killed two Muslim persons. These chats at the most could be used a corroborative piece of evidence...,” the court said.

It said that the prosecution had relied upon the same WhatsApp chats to support the allegations of murder against the accused in several other cases also.

The judge said that though the offence of murder was established, their particulars, including the time and place, were not proved. Also, another question that remained unanswered was whether the offence was committed by an unlawful assembly consisting of five or more persons, he said.