This is an archive article published on September 13, 2024
Flagging ‘artificial claims’ by police, court acquits 10 men in NE Delhi riots case
A man had lodged a complaint on March 1, 2020, saying his shop in Delhi’s Shiv Vihar Tiraha was vandalised by a mob. He further alleged that rioters entered his house, stole valuables and set the furniture on fire.
Written by Nirbhay Thakur
New Delhi | September 13, 2024 10:51 AM IST
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The court also said that the two complainants did not support the case of the prosecution on the aspect of identification of the accused as a part of the mob that indulged in vandalism during the incident. (File)
Noting “artificiality” in the claims of an investigating officer and contradictions in witness statements, a Delhi court on Wednesday acquitted 10 men accused of arson and rioting with a deadly weapon during the 2020 northeast Delhi riots.
One witness examined by the prosecution who was running a shop near the place where the incident took place said that his shop was not burnt after the riots. However, a head constable and assistant sub-inspector (ASI) had claimed that the shop of this witness was burnt.
“Both of them claimed that the shop was also burnt by the rioters. This contradictory stand taken by these two alleged eyewitnesses creates a dent in their credibility,” Additional Sessions Judge Pulastya Pramachala of Karkardooma Courts said.
The court also said that the two complainants did not support the case of the prosecution on the aspect of identification of the accused as a part of the mob that indulged in vandalism during the incident. “I find it unsafe to rely upon the evidence of PW6, PW9 and PW13 (all of whom were police witnesses) to believe that all the accused persons were part of the mob which had attacked upon the property,” the judge said while acquitting the accused.
As per the duty roster provided to the judge by the police, PW6 and PW13 (a constable and an ASI) were assigned duty in Chaman Park and PW9 (a head constable) was assigned duty in Johripur. However, the head constable had deposed before court that he was on duty with the constable and the ASI. “This gap goes on to adversely affect the credibility of claims made by all aforesaid three eye-witnesses,” the Court noted.
“Artificiality” in the claims of an investigating officer in the case was also flagged by the court. The third IO in this case had stated that he knew about the duties of the three officers (PW6, PW9 and PW13). “…if the duty roster was not placed in the file when PW17 (the IO) received it on 07.04.2020, then how could he know about the duty of PW6, PW9 and PW13 on analysis of the file? Thus, there appears to be an element of artificiality in such a claim,” the judge said pulling up the IO.
The case was registered on the complaint of Narender Kumar dated March 1, 2020. Lodged in Gokalpuri police station, the complainant alleged that his shop in Shiv Vihar Tiraha was vandalised by a mob. Kumar further alleged that 50-60 rioters entered his house and looted 15 tolas of gold, half kg of silver and Rs 2 lakh while setting the furniture on fire. Seventeen witnesses were examined in the case of which 12 were police officers.
Nirbhay Thakur is a Senior Correspondent with The Indian Express who primarily covers district courts in Delhi and has reported on the trials of many high-profile cases since 2023.
Professional Background
Education: Nirbhay is an economics graduate from Delhi University.
Beats: His reporting spans the trial courts, and he occasionally interviews ambassadors and has a keen interest in doing data stories.
Specializations: He has a specific interest in data stories related to courts.
Core Strength: Nirbhay is known for tracking long-running legal sagas and providing meticulous updates on high-profile criminal trials.
Recent notable articles
In 2025, he has written long form articles and two investigations. Along with breaking many court stories, he has also done various exclusive stories.
1) A long form on Surender Koli, accused in the Nithari serial killings of 2006. He was acquitted after spending 2 decades in jail. was a branded man. Deemed the “cannibal" who allegedly lured children to his employer’s house in Noida, murdered them, and “ate their flesh” – his actions cited were cited as evidence of human depravity at its worst. However, the SC acquitted him finding various lapses in the investigation. The Indian Express spoke to his lawyers and traced the 2 decades journey.
2) For decades, the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has been at the forefront of the Government’s national rankings, placed at No. 2 over the past two years alone. It has also been the crucible of campus activism, its protests often spilling into national debates, its student leaders going on to become the faces and voices of political parties of all hues and thoughts. The Indian Express looked at all court cases spanning over two decades and did an investigation.
3) Investigation on the 700 Delhi riots cases. The Indian Express found that in 17 of 93 acquittals (which amounted to 85% of the decided cases) in Delhi riots cases, courts red-flag ‘fabricated’ evidence and pulled up the police.
Signature Style
Nirbhay’s writing is characterized by its procedural depth. He excels at summarizing 400-page chargesheets and complex court orders into digestible news for the general public.
X (Twitter): @Nirbhaya99 ... Read More
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