Photo: Maktoob Media
Khargone: A Sessions Court in Madhya Pradesh's Khargone has acquitted all 11 Muslim men accused in the 2022 Ram Navami violence case, ruling that the prosecution had failed to establish the charges beyond a reasonable doubt.
The Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR), which represented the accused, said the acquitted men had spent between 462 and 827 days in prison during the course of the case, Maktoob Media reported.
Delivering the verdict, the Court of the 4th Additional Sessions Judge in Mandleshwar pointed to several shortcomings in the prosecution's case. It noted that eight of the 13 prosecution witnesses, including most of the complainants, turned hostile and did not identify any of the accused during the trial. The court also observed that investigators had not conducted a Test Identification Parade (TIP), despite the identity of the alleged attackers being in dispute.
The prosecution had alleged that the accused were part of a mob that attacked Hindu homes with stones and petrol bombs, damaged properties and vehicles, and committed offences including rioting, arson, criminal conspiracy, house trespass and violations of the Explosive Substances Act.
However, the court observed that the case relied largely on the testimony of a single alleged eyewitness whose statement was recorded 51 days after the incident without any explanation. It further noted that the witness was neither named in the FIR nor in the original complaints.
The judgment also referred to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report, which reportedly found no traces of petrol, diesel or kerosene on the seized materials, thereby weakening the prosecution's allegations relating to petrol bombs and offences under the Explosive Substances Act.
Granting the accused the benefit of doubt, the court acquitted all 11 men of charges including rioting, arson, criminal conspiracy, house trespass and offences under the Explosive Substances Act.
The acquittal came more than four years after violence broke out during a Ram Navami procession in Khargone on April 10, 2022. The incident resulted in the death of a Muslim youth, Idris Khan, while several Muslims were arrested and numerous Muslim homes and businesses were demolished. Members of the community had alleged that they were disproportionately targeted in the aftermath of the violence.
A 2022 fact-finding report by the Centre for the Study of Society and Secularism (CSSS) had also alleged that Muslims were disproportionately targeted following the violence.