2020 Northeast Delhi Riots: Court Acquits 4 Men Accused Of Murder

The Delhi court has acquitted 4 men accused of murdering 2 people during the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, stating that there was no evidence to prove that the accused were part of the riotous mob.

Additional Sessions Judge Pulastya Pramachala heard 2 cases registered against Ashok, Ajay, Subham, and Jitender Kumar for allegedly murdering Ashfaq Hussain and Jakir in Brijpuri here on February 25, 2020, during the communal riots.

In 2 separate orders passed last week, the court stated that the prosecution couldn’t prove that any of the accused persons was involved in the killing of Jakir and Hussain.

The court said, “There is no evidence to even establish any of the accused being part of rioters at the given place and time. Therefore, all the accused persons are acquitted of all the charges alleged against them in this case.”

Regarding whether the accused were part of a riotous mob that killed the duo, the court, in the common observations, said the eyewitness in the cases turned hostile and didn’t support the prosecution’s version.

However, there was some circumstantial evidence as call details record, recovery of scissors, swords and the clothes worn by some of the accused persons, based on their alleged disclosure statements.

The court stated that it couldn’t reach a concrete conclusion about the presence of a particular person at a particular place, solely based on the CDR.

It stated, “As far as swords and scissors recovered and relied upon by the prosecution is concerned, it is not that these weapons were found with remnants of the blood of the deceased, to show that they were the weapons through which deceased were killed.”

The court stated the prosecution didn’t conduct any forensic examination to show that the clothes had bloodstains of the deceased.
It stated that the CCTV footage showing the presence of the accused persons as part of the unlawful assembly which murdered the duo was not played in the court.

The court observed, “Even in the form of circumstantial evidence, there is nothing on the record to establish the presence of accused persons among the rioters.”

It stated, the prosecution wasn’t able to prove that the accused persons were involved in the duo’s killings.

The Dayalpur police station registered FIRs against the accused.