Northeast Delhi Riots: Court Acquits 12 Men in 2020 Murder Case

A Delhi court has acquitted 12 men accused of murder and conspiracy in connection with the 2020 Northeast Delhi riots.

In an order dated April 30, Additional Sessions Judge Pulastya Pramachala of the Karkardooma Court cleared the men of charges related to the killing of Hashim Ali during the riots.

Those acquitted include Lokesh Kumar Solanki, Pankaj Sharma, Ankit Chaudhary, Prince, Jatin Sharma, Himanshu Thakur, Vivek Panchal, Rishabh Chaudhary, Sumit Chaudhary, Tinku Arora, Sandeep, and Sahil.

The prosecution’s case heavily relied on alleged WhatsApp chats from a group where the accused reportedly made “extrajudicial confessions.” However, the court observed that such posts could have been made to impress other group members, without necessarily reflecting the truth.

“Such posts/messages may be put in the group solely with the intention of becoming a hero in the estimation of other members of the group, and it could be a boast also, without truth,” ASJ Pramachala noted in his judgment.

The judge further remarked that the prosecution’s argument linking the accused to the riots based on these chats was “a general presumption without support of substantive evidence.”

The FIR in the case alleged that the accused were involved in the killing of nine people, including Hashim Ali and his brother Aamir Khan. Prosecution witnesses had claimed the accused were armed with stones, sticks, swords, and iron rods and were seen shouting slogans during the violence.

Police filed multiple chargesheets in the case, naming a WhatsApp group where the accused were allegedly active. Lokesh Kumar Solanki was the first to be arrested and, during interrogation, reportedly named the others as members of the group.

With insufficient evidence to prove their involvement in the murder of Hashim Ali, the court ordered their acquittal.