On Monday, March 13, Delhi’s Karkardooma court convicted nine persons involved in the 2020 anti-Hindu Delhi riots. The court noted that the main objective of the convicts who joined the unruly mob guided by ‘communal feelings’ was to cause ‘maximum damage’ to the properties belonging to the people of the Hindu community.
The accused identified as Mohd Shahnawaz, Mohd Shoaib, Shahrukh, Rashid, Azad, Ashraf Ali, Parvez, Mohd Faisal, Rashid alias Monu and Mohd Tahir have been charged Sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 436 (Mischief by fire), 452 (House-trespass with preparation to assault), 454 (Lurking house-trespass), 392 (robbery), 427 (mischief) read with Section 149 (unlawful assembly) of IPC.
The court found the nine accused persons guilty of robbing, damaging, and setting ablaze the house of the complainant Rekha Sharma along with a mob. Rekha Sharma informed the police that the convicts gathered in a mob and tried to break open her house. Sharma stated that on the night between February 24 and February 25, 2020, a mob knocked down her house’s back gate and stole goods from there. In addition, they destroyed the house and set a fire in a room on the upper floor.
Justice Pulastya Pramachala said that the involvement of the accused in the riots is proven beyond doubt. ASJ Pramachala pronounced the accused guilty and stated: “I find that charges levelled against all the accused persons, in this case, are proven beyond doubt. Hence, those charged are convicted for offences covered under Sections 147, 148, 380, 427, 436, and 149 of the IPC in addition to Section 188 of the IPC.”
Moreover, ASJ Pramachala said, “On the basis of the assessment of the evidence in this case and further reasoning, I am convinced with the version of prosecution against the accused persons. It is well established, that all the named accused individuals, in this case, joined an unruly mob that was motivated by communal feelings and had as its objective to inflict the maximum damage to the properties of the people belonging to the Hindu community.”
It is notable that on February 23, the same court acquitted each of the nine accused in FIR 40/2020 filed at Gokalpuri police station. On November 18 of last year, the court acquitted four of them in FIR 83/2020 (P.S. Gokalpuri).
Delhi riots 2020
On the 24th and 25th of February 2020, India’s national capital Delhi saw large-scale anti-Hindu riots which marked the culmination of the hostility, hatred, and anger spread by the anti-CAA protests by the Islamists in Shaheen Bagh and other areas. Shahdara, Maujpur, Bhajanpura, Brahmapuri, and other parts of northeast Delhi witnessed violence perpetrated by the Islamists. 53 people died in these riots while more than 200 people were left injured.