A Delhi Court yesterday framed charges against 49 men for allegedly looting and putting on fire a car showroom during the 2020 North-East Delhi riots.
Charges have been framed for the offenses punishable under sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting with a deadly weapon), 427 (mischief), 435 ( mischief by fire), 436 (punishment for mischief by fire), 450 (house trespass), 149 (unlawful assembly) and 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of Indian Penal Code, 1860.
However, the court discharged one Mohd. Aftab as there was no concrete evidence of his identification in the mob.
FIR 136/2020 was registered at Dayalpur police station on the written complaint of Rajesh Singh, the General Manager of Fair Deal Maruti Car Showroom, alleging that various articles in the showroom were set on fire by a mob which caused a loss of Rs.3.5 Crores to him.
While framing charges, the court said that the evidence on the record prima facie showed that the accused persons were part of an unlawful assembly that was present there at the spot and which came into action with a common object to go on the rampage and damage the properties.
However, it found that no case was made out for the existence of a criminal conspiracy between the accused persons.
“The mob became violent subsequently and started indulging in riot, vandalism, and arson. From these circumstances the element of prior agreement among the accused persons and others, cannot be inferred”, the court said.
