2020 Delhi riots: Court acquits 6 accused in mosque looting case, slams police probe

New Delhi, Aug 27 (IANS) A Delhi court has acquitted six individuals accused in a case of looting and arson near a mosque in Sudamapuri during the 2020 Delhi riots, raising serious questions over the manner of investigation conducted by the police.

The Karkardooma Court acquitted the accused, Ishu Gupta, Prem Prakash, Rajkumar, Manish Sharma, Rahul alias Golu, and Amit alias Annu, citing a lack of credible evidence and multiple flaws in the prosecution’s case.

In a strongly worded judgment, the court criticised the Delhi Police’s approach to the investigation, stating, “It is unfortunate that despite glaring flaws, the SHO and supervising officers proceeded to file a charge sheet. Such actions severely erode public trust in the investigative process and in the rule of law.”

The court expressed astonishment that the case diary was neither presented in court nor found in the police station records, raising concerns over procedural lapses.

Moreover, the court pointed out that an eyewitness had retracted his statement, further weakening the prosecution’s case.

Another key observation by the court questioned the identification process of the accused. The judge noted that the accused were already in custody when their identification was allegedly made through photographs.

The court remarked, “Identification through photographs can only be accepted when the accused are unknown and not yet arrested. The fact that the accused were in custody and no Test Identification Parade (TIP) was conducted raises serious doubts about the fairness of the investigation.”

The court further observed that the case appeared to have been fabricated to close the file and stated that the sole eyewitness could not be fully trusted.

The judge said, “It appears a false case has been imposed on the accused. The investigating officer has exaggerated the evidence, resulting in serious violations of the accused's rights.”

With these observations, the court acquitted all six accused -- Ishu Gupta, Prem Prakash, Rajkumar, Manish Sharma, Rahul alias Golu, and Amit alias Annu -- underlining the need for accountability in police investigations, especially in communally sensitive cases.

--IANS

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