Delhi court acquits 13 in 2020 riots, cites tainted witness

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A Delhi court has acquitted 13 accused in a 2020 northeast Delhi riots case, ruling that the key prosecution witness's testimony was under a 'shadow of doubt'. Additional Sessions Judge Parveen Singh said the witness initially told investigators he had not seen the incident but later became an eyewitness in court, identifying two accused from CCTV footage. The court noted the footage was black-and-white, dark and grainy, and the forensic lab could not give an opinion on facial identification due to poor pixel resolution.

The case related to an attack on Raman Chauhan in New Usmanpur on February 25, 2020. Chauhan himself told the court he could not identify any attacker. The accused faced charges of rioting, attempt to murder and criminal conspiracy. The court also held that recovery of weapons alone could not prove a conspiracy, and that the prosecution failed to follow proper procedure for proclamation proceedings against some accused. Hindustan Times reports this from an automated feed.