New Delhi: Karkardooma Court has acquitted five accused in the case of vandalism and arson at Allah Wali Masjid in Karawal Nagar during the February 2020 riots in north-east Delhi. The court said the prosecution failed to prove the charges against the accused beyond reasonable doubt. Contradictions in the statements of police witnesses and deficiencies in legal documents linked to CCTV footage became key grounds for the verdict.
Additional Sessions Judge Praveen Singh discharged Ankit, Saurabh Sharma, Rohit, Rahul Kumar and Sachin of all charges. They were accused of being part of a mob of around 200 people during the riots that allegedly vandalised and set fire to the mosque located in Shahid Bhagat Singh Colony, Karawal Nagar.
During the hearing, the court found serious differences in the statements of two police witnesses. Both policemen had claimed that they saw arson and vandalism at the mosque at around 11 am on February 25, 2020. However, independent witness Ali Ahmed, who lives opposite the mosque, said the incident took place only once and that he saw it at around 8:15 pm on the night of February 24. He denied that a second incident took place during the day.
The court also noted contradictions regarding the movements of the policemen that day and their presence at the spot. In addition, the DVD and hard disk containing CCTV footage produced for identification of the accused were not accepted. According to the court, the valid certificate required under Section 65B of the Indian Evidence Act for electronic evidence had not been submitted.
In these circumstances, the court gave the benefit of doubt to all five accused and acquitted them.
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