• Source:JND
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A Delhi court acquitted 12 men accused of murder and criminal conspiracy in a case related to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots. The local court said the prosecution's evidence was insufficient to establish the identity of the accused as part of the mob that murdered Hashim Ali on February 26, 2020.

Additional Sessions Judge Pulastya Pramachala noted that the prosecution relied on circumstantial evidence, but it fell short of proving the accused's involvement. The judge said, "Unless the identity of members of the culprit mob is established, vicarious liability cannot be fastened upon anyone."

He added that no presumption can be raised that some persons identified as part of some mob at some place at some other time period, would also have been part of the mob that was involved in the incident of murder.

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The court rejected the prosecution's argument that some accused, who were part of a WhatsApp group called "Kattar Hindu Ekta", had confessed to the murder in their chats. The judge said such posts or messages could be boastful or intended to impress other group members, without truth.

"Such posts or messages may be put in the group solely with intention of becoming hero in the estimation of other members of the group and it could be a boast also, without truth," the judge said.

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

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In a related case, the Delhi High Court sought a response from the police on a plea by former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain seeking regular bail in a case related to the murder of IB staffer Ankit Sharma during the 2020 northeast Delhi riots. The court has listed the matter for hearing in July.

(With agency inputs)