Delhi court acquits 11 accused in 2020 Northeast Delhi riots case

New Delhi [India], May 19 (ANI): Delhi's Karkardooma Court recently acquitted 11 accused in a case related to rioting, arson, etc. in Northeast Delhi in 2020.
The court acquitted the accused persons after finding no credible evidence against them. It discarded the testimony of two police officials who identified the accused persons in a video.
The court also noted that the accused persons were identified at a belated stage after their arrest and the filing of a charge sheet.
An FIR was filed at the Gokul Puri Police Station.
Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Pulastya Pramachala acquitted all accused persons after considering the evidence and testimonies of the Prosecution witnesses.
"In view of my foregoing discussions, observations and findings, I find that charges levelled against the accused persons in this case are not proved beyond all reasonable doubts and accused are entitled for benefit of doubt. Hence, all accused Ankit Chaudhary alias Fauzi, Sumit alias Badshah, Pappu, Vijay, Ashish Kumar, Sourabh Kaushik, Bhupender, Shakti Singh, Sachin Kumar alias Rancho, Rahul and Yogesh, are acquitted of the charges levelled against them," ASJ Pramachala held on May 14.
The court noted that the accused persons were identified by the two police officials who claimed to know them prior to the incident.
The court noted, " However, both these officials were posted in the same police station, despite that their statement regarding identifying the accused persons, was recorded at much belated time."
" Moreover, if these accused persons were already known to these two police officials, then there could not have been any need to identify them in any video or photographs," the court further noted.
The court observed in the judgement, " It is worth to note here that by the time Investigation Officer (IO) recorded statement of these two police officials, all accused were already arrested and chargesheeted in this case. Therefore, their identification of accused persons, at such belated time, is not beyond controversy and doubt."
The accused were chargesheeted by the police for offences punishable under Section 147, 148, 149, 380, 427, 436 IPC.
On March 3, 2020, an FIR was registered at PS Gokalpuri pursuant to receipt of a written complaint filed by one Mohammad Imran Sheikh.
He had alleged about loot and arson committed in his medical shop in the name and style of "Crown Medicos." His shop was situated in Gokalpuri.
He further alleged that the First and second floors of his shop were full of medicines. He further alleged that one Aslam, who was working in a salon situated in front of his medical shop, had telephonically informed him at around 1:30 AM that some persons had looted his shop and were setting it ablaze. Immediately thereafter, complainant Mohammad Imran Sheikh called the police at the 100 number about this incident.
Another complaint was filed by Akram Ali, who was running a barber shop in the same area alongwith his brother Aslam Ali.
He alleged that on February 2, 2020, at around 6 PM, a number of persons came and started vandalism, and thereafter he and his brother left Delhi for their native place, in order to save their lives. Aslam Ali returned on February 28 and informed his brother that the shop had been vandalised. (ANI)