A Delhi courtroom on Wednesday acquitted two individuals accused of rioting with a lethal weapon and illegal meeting throughout the Northeast Delhi riots in 2020.
Abid Ali and Sheru — allegedly a part of a mob which pelted stones and beat up three boys in Vijay Park — had allegedly injured inspector Rohitash Kumar (the complainant) when he tried to save lots of two individuals. ASI Vikrant, the then head constable, was additionally injured within the incident after being hit by three to 4 stones in his legs.
Each Kumar and Vikrant recognized the accused earlier than the courtroom, deposing that they had been among the many rioters who had pelted stones.
Performing on a tip-off, the investigating officer (IO) mentioned he had arrested Ali and Sheru on April 14, 2020. When the IO was interrogating the accused the subsequent day, Vikrant visited the police station and recognized each the accused.
Nonetheless, Vikrant later mentioned, he had discovered the accused after visiting the police station on March 8 and never April 15. This contradiction between the statements of the IO and the pinnacle constable had been flagged by the courtroom, whereas acquitting the accused.
Furthermore, after 1.5 years of submitting the principle chargesheet, the IO claimed to have known as each the accused to the police station on November 19, 2022, when the complainant “recognized” each the accused. Based on the IO, each Kumar and Vikrant had come to the police station the identical day to make an inquiry concerning the case’s progress.
“It doesn’t enchantment to logic {that a} police officer shall go to the police station after over 1.5 years to solely make an inquiry concerning the progress of a case,” famous the courtroom of Extra Classes Choose Pulastya Pramachala, including that the identification course of by the 2 injured cops had been shadowed with clouds of doubt.
The courtroom additionally discovered benefit within the argument of the defence counsel, who mentioned that it couldn’t have been a “mere coincidence” for each the witnesses to go to the police station with none function and discover each the accused with the IO for identification.