A local court has acquitted two men accused of various charges such as rioting, pelting bricks and throwing acid at security personnel, saying there was no incriminating evidence against them.
Additional Sessions Judge Pulastya Pramachala was hearing a case against Asraf Ali and Parvej, who were accused of being part of a riotous mob that attacked a Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) battalion with glass bottles, acid and bricks from rooftops in the Shiv Vihar area on February 25, 2020, during the communal riots in northeast Delhi.
Two SSB personnel were injured in attack, the prosecution said.
Noting the testimony of the sole eyewitness, the judge said he did not say anything about witnessing acid being thrown from a nearby school. He also did not specify the particular mob which committed the offence.
“Therefore, his testimony does not establish the complicity of both the accused persons in the acid (bottle) pelting upon the police and the SSB team, which resulted in injuries to victims of this case,” the judge said.
“Thus, his testimony does not become incriminating for the accused persons in respect of the alleged incident,” he added.
In the absence of proof of the pair’s involvement, the evidence for the offence under Section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the Indian Penal Code has to be ignored, the judge said.
“Both the accused persons are acquitted of all the charges levelled against them in this case,” the court said in an order passed on Saturday.
The Karawal Nagar police station had registered an FIR against the pair.
