2020 Delhi riots: Court acquits 11 of arson, theft charges

Delhi court acquits 11 men in 2020 riots case due to lack of evidence; police witnesses deemed unreliable.

A Delhi court has acquitted 11 men accused of arson and theft charges in a February 2020 riots' case for want of evidence.

Additional Sessions Judge Pulastya Pramachala observed the two police witnesses who identified the accused persons in the case appeared to be "artificial eyewitnesses".

The prosecution alleged the accused persons were involved in theft, vandalism and arson in some shops on the intervening night of February 24 and 25, 2020.

In an order dated May 14, the court said the core issue in the matter was the identification of the accused persons comprising the mob involved in the crime.

The two police witnesses, the court noted, posted in the same police station, identified the photographs of the accused persons after a 10-month gap.

“If prosecution witness (PW) 9, assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Jahangir and PW 10, ASI Vanvir, had actually seen and identified the accused persons among the rioters on February 24, 2020, then there was no good reason for them to keep silent for such a long period,” the court said.

The investigating officer was said to have known that the two police officials were on duty at the spot, but he did not examine them.