By Sohini Ghosh
The Delhi High Court Tuesday dismissed a petition by 2020 riots accused Salim Malik alias Munna seeking that the charges framed against him in a case of rioting and arson at a car showroom be dropped. While a detailed order has not been made public, Justice Anish Dayal pronounced in open court that the petition is dismissed.
Malik was seeking that the 2023 Karkardooma Sessions Court order by Additional Sessions Judge Pulastya Pramachala, where the court had framed charges against him in relation to a Dayalpur police station FIR, be set aside. While framing the charges for rioting and arson, the trial court concluded that there was no material to establish the ingredients of criminal conspiracy.
Malik is facing charges under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 147, 148 (rioting), 149 (unlawful assembly), 427 (mischief), 435, 436 (mischief by fire), and 450 (house trespass). He is accused of alleged rioting and arson at Fair Deal Cars Pvt Ltd at Main Wazirabad Road in Bhajanpura, Delhi, on February 24, 2020.
Malik is also an accused in the larger conspiracy case, along with others such as Umar Khalid, Abdul Khalid Saifi and others, all booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and provisions of IPC for allegedly being the “masterminds” of the 2020 Delhi riots, which left 53 people dead and over 700 injured. The riots erupted during the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in the city.
This story was originally published in indianexpress.com. Read the full story here.
