Delhi News:  A Delhi court has acquitted 10 people of charges in the 2020 North-East Delhi Riots case. These charges include unlawful assembly and arson. The court said that it is not right to rely only on the statements of three police witnesses. The court said that the fabricated claims of three policemen and an investigating officer regarding the identity of the accused persons have raised doubts.

Additional Sessions Judge Pulastya Pramachala was hearing a case against 10 accused who were booked by the Gokalpuri police station for various offences including arson and house breaking. The prosecution had told the court that the accused were part of a riotous mob that carried out vandalism. It had said that during the communal riots of February 24, 2020, the first floor of a building in the Chaman Park area of ​​Brijpuri was looted and a pizza shop was set on fire. 

Contradictions seen in eyewitness statements

Keeping in mind the existing evidence, the Sessions Court said that two eyewitnesses have shown contradictory views on the shop being burnt by the rioters and this raises questions on their credibility. Head Constable Sanjay had said that he was on duty with Constable Vipin and Assistant Sub-Inspector Hari Babu, on which the court said that according to the duty roster of the day, Vipin and Babu were assigned duty in Chaman Park, while Sanjay was assigned duty in Johripur.

Lack of evidence with the prosecution -

The court said that there is no evidence to prove that Sanjay was instructed to join duty with two other police officers. The court said that there is another shortcoming in the evidence of the prosecution. In such a situation, the credibility of the claim made by the eyewitnesses is affected.