By Taniya Roy
New Delhi: On September 27, a Delhi court acquitted a man, after he spent three years in jail over accusations of rioting, arson, and unlawful assembly during the 2020 Northeast Delhi riots. Interestingly, the court observed that the sole witness in this case might have been “tutored” to identify the accused by using a photograph.
According to the Indian Express, the accused, Praveen Giri, was arrested based on CCTV footage from a camera situated within 50 metres of the scene of the crime.
In this case, two complainants, Afsar and Mohd. Ashfaq, alleged that their properties were vandalised, robbed, and set on fire by a mob.
This is one of the many cases in which the delivery of justice has not only been delayed, but appears to have been rusty when it comes to how the Delhi Police, which comes under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Home Affairs, has conducted its investigations into the matter.
At least 758 FIRs have been filed under the Indian Penal Code, in connection with the 2020 February riots that killed 53 people and injured over 700.
The North-East Delhi riots lasted around four days from February 23 to 27, 2020.
It’s interesting to note how the courts, in several cases, while acquitting accused persons, have rapped the Delhi Police over ‘fabrication of evidence’, ‘shoddy probe’ and ‘a lack of logic’.
The way the police have conducted the investigation into some cases is bizarre, as per the court’s analysis of the probe. Additionally, in many cases, the victims, who were later acquitted of all charges, were kept behind bars – some for several months, some for over a year.
This story was originally published in thewire.in. Read the full story here .
