A Delhi court has acquitted six individuals accused of arson, rioting, and theft during the 2020 communal riots in Northeast Delhi. The decision was delivered by Additional Sessions Judge Pulastya Pramachala, who found substantial gaps in the prosecution’s evidence.
The accused were implicated in incidents of looting, vandalism, and torching a residence in Shiv Vihar on February 25, 2020. An allegation regarding a clinic being set on fire was later incorporated into the same case.
During the proceedings, the prosecution presented a digital video recorder (DVR) footage as key evidence. However, the court noted the absence of witnesses capable of identifying any of the accused from the videos. The judge criticized the investigating officer for not undertaking a scientific examination to match the video with the accused’s photographs, leaving a significant void in the evidentiary framework.
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Further undermining the prosecution’s case, the court observed that the call detail records (CDR) did not pinpoint the accused’s location during the riots, nor did they link them directly to the crimes.
