2020 Delhi riots case: Court acquits 7 in murder of auto driver
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New Delhi: A Delhi court has acquitted seven men accused of beating an auto-rickshaw driver to death during the 2020 Delhi riots, ruling that police failed to establish their involvement in the killing. However, the court convicted them of violating prohibitory orders, according to a report by Live Law.
Kuldeep Singh, Harjeet Singh, Rahul, Sachin Rastogi, Bharat Bhushan, Sandeep and Dharmendra were cleared of charges including murder, rioting with deadly weapons and promoting enmity between different groups. The court, presided over by Additional Sessions Judge Parveen Singh, held that the prosecution had not established their role in the attack.
The seven men were nevertheless found guilty under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for disobeying an order promulgated by a public servant. Arguments on the sentence for this offence will be heard at a later date.
Another accused, Sachin Gupta, was acquitted of all charges after the court extended him the benefit of doubt.
The verdict comes amid continuing judicial proceedings linked to the communal violence that swept parts of the national capital in February 2020, leaving several people dead and many others injured. The case concerned the fatal assault on an auto-rickshaw driver during the unrest.
In a separate case related to the Delhi riots, a court had acquitted five people last week, marking another development in the long-running legal proceedings arising from the violence.