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A Delhi Court has acquitted eight accused of murder, rioting with a lethal weapon, unlawful assembly, promoting enmity between communities, etc., giving them the benefit of the doubt. However, seven accused out of these have been convicted for not obeying the prohibitory orders.
They had been chargesheeted and charged in a case of rioting and murder registered at Khajuri Khas police station in February 2020. This case pertains to the murder of Babu allegedly by a mob during the North East Delhi Riots. Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Parveen Singh acquitted accused Sachin Gupta alias Mopi, giving him the benefit of doubt and acquitted him of all the charges framed against him. The other seven accused, namely Kuldeep, Harjeet Singh alias Happy, Ajay alias Rahul, Sachin Rastogi, Bharat Bhushan, Sandeep alias Sanjeev and Dharmender alias Dham, were given the benefit of doubt and were acquitted of the charges for the offence punishable under section 148 read with section 149 IPC, under section 302 RSD with section 149 IPC and under section 153A read with section 149 IPC. However, they are convicted for the offence punishable under section 188 IPC. While acquitting the accused persons, the court said that the three police witnesses are the only eye witnesses who have identified the accused as part of the rioting mob at Khajuri Chowk on 25.02.2020. However, except one witness, the remaining two police witnesses had not deposed about seeing the deceased being beaten by the mob, the court noted. "Therefore, as far as the charge under section 302 IPC is concerned, the only eyewitness testimony is the testimony of the person who claims to have seen the incident after they had returned to Khajuri Chowk from Hedgewar Hospital, where they had gone with injured Constable Amit," the court said. The court noted that he claimed that they returned to Khajuri Chowk and they saw some persons beating a man with lathis. The word they in both these sentences had referred to him and Constable Bhupender, who has deposed as a prosecution witness. However, Ct. Bhupender, during his deposition, did not state that he saw any incident at Khajuri Chowk where some persons were beating an individual with lathis. "On the contrary, he has not deposed about witnessing any riot or riot-related incident post his return to Khajuri Chowk. Rather, in his examination-in-chief, he does not even speak about returning to Khajuri Chowk," the court observed. It is only during his cross-examination that, in response to a question, he stated about his return at 2-3 pm. Even then, he did not divulge any information about seeing the incident with the deceased, the court said. On 18.03.2025, accused Rizwan, Israr, Taiyab, Iqbal, Juber, Maroof, Shamim, Adil, Shahabuddin, Farman and Imran were discharged in this case. On 18.03.2025, charges were framed against accused Kuldeep Singh, Harjeet Singh Sandeep, Rahul, Bharat Bhushan, Sachin Gupta, Sachin Rastogi, and Dand Harmender, to which they pleaded not guilty and claimed trial. This case was registered on the statement of one Pappu, who was the brother of the deceased Babbu. In his statement, Pappu alleged that his brother Babbu was an auto driver. He further alleged that on 25.02.2020 at about 2.00 p.m., when Babbu was returning from work and reached Khajuri Chowk, there was a mob which was pelting stones. It was further alleged that Babbu sustained serious injuries and thereafter he died on 27.02.2020. (ANI)
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