Editor Mr.Mayank Rawat ( Chief Editor Mr. Rohit Mishra )
New Delhi: A court has framed charges of rioting and arson against 57 accused people in a case related to the 2020 Delhi riots, observing that there was a “prima facie case” against them.
The court of additional sessions judge Pulastya Pramachala in its April 15 order observed that the evidence on record prima facie showed that the accused were part of an unlawful assembly and had the common objective of going on the rampage and damaging properties.
That’s why they set a truck, Scooty and a godown, along with other articles, on fire, the judge said.
The ASJ court was hearing the case against the 57 accused people, against whom Dayalpur police station had registered a case for committing the offences on the Main Wazirabad Road and near Chand Bagh on Feb 24, 2020.
The judge, noting their statements and complaints, said that there was a case against them for vandalism, arson and mischief by fire, besides a case for wrongful restraint and causing simple injury to a man named Om Prakash.
The presence of all the accused in the mob of rioters has been established by different witnesses, the judge said.
“I find that a prima facie case for offence punishable under IPC Sections 148 (rioting, armed with a deadly weapon), 435 (mischief by fire with intent to cause damage to an amount of 100 rupees or upwards), 436 (mischief by fire with intent to destroy house), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (wrongful restraint) read with IPC Sections 149 (unlawful assembly) and 188 (disobedience to order promulgated by a public servant) against all the accused persons,” ASJ Pramachala said.
The judge, however, discharged the accused from the offence of criminal conspiracy, observing that from the statements of witnesses, the element of prior agreement among the accused persons and others could not be inferred.
“From their statements, the scenario appears to be that a mob gathered near the Main Wazirabad Road and 25 Foota Road, Chand Bagh. The mob became violent subsequently and started indulging in riot, vandalism and arson,” the judge said.
Mayank Rawat
