Delhi riots: Court acquits 13 accused

A court in Delhi has acquitted 13 defendants accused of involvement in riots that occurred in northeast Delhi in 2020. The decision was based on concerns about the reliability of key testimony and the quality of evidence presented. The Additional Sessions Judge, Parveen Singh, expressed doubts about the statement made by the main prosecution witness, stating that it was "under a shadow of doubt."

The case centers around events that took place on February 25, 2020, in the New Usmanpur police area, where Raman Chauhan claimed to have been assaulted during the riots. Chauhan stated that he could not identify any of the rioters who had attacked him. Thirteen individuals were subsequently charged with various offenses, including rioting, rioting with deadly weapons, attempt to murder, criminal conspiracy, and disobedience of an order by a public servant.

The court ruled that the changes in the witness' testimony made the evidence unreliable, primarily due to the poor quality of the footage used to identify suspects and the dim lighting conditions. The court also criticized the prosecution for not adhering to the proper procedures for issuing proclamations and pointed out that there were no details regarding the time, place, and method of the alleged conspiracy.

Ultimately, the court found that the alterations in the witness' testimony undermined the reliability of the evidence, and thus acquitted all 13 accused of the charges brought against them.