File photo of police standing guard in a riot-affected area following clashes between people demonstrating for and against a new citizenship law in New Delhi, 2020.
Credit: Reuters File Photo
New Delhi: A court here has acquitted 11 men accused of rioting, theft and setting house ablaze during the 2020 northeast Delhi riots that broke out following violence between supporters of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and those against the legislation.
Additional Sessions Judge Pulastya Pramachala said police failed to prove beyond all reasonable doubt the charges in the case lodged based on a complaint by Gokalpuri resident Naushad.
Those acquitted are Sumit, Ankit Chaudhary, Ashish Kumar, Saurav Kaushik, Bhupender, Shakti Singh, Pappu, Vijay, Sachin Kumar, Yogesh and Rahul.
"In view of my discussions, observations and findings, I find that charges levelled against the accused persons in this case are not proved beyond all reasonable doubts and they all are entitled to benefit of doubt," the judge said in an order passed on October 4.
Naushad had alleged that around 10 pm on February 25, 2020, the accused persons trespassed into his house in Gokalpuri, looted and set it ablaze.
At least 53 people died and around 200 were injured in the communal clashes during the riots in northeast Delhi in 2020.