2020 Delhi riots: Court convicts man of rioting, arson and robbery offences

A court here Wednesday convicted a person of various offenses in connection with the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, including arson, robbery and rioting, saying the charges were proved beyond a reasonable doubt.

Additional Sessions Judge Pulastya Pramachala presided over the case involving Noor Mohammad, also known as Noora and Nabi Mohammad. Noor was implicated in participating in a violent mob that set fire to an automobile shop, vandalized vehicles, looted shops, and stole mobile phones from two shop owners during the Karawal Nagar riots on February 24, 2020.

The prosecution asserted that Nabi knowingly purchased a stolen mobile phone from Noor despite being aware of its illegal origin.

The defense contested the credibility of the witness who identified Noor, but the court dismissed these claims, emphasizing that the witness, Shiv Kumar Raghav, the president of the local market association, had positively identified Noor as the individual who stole his mobile phone during the chaos. The court disregarded minor inconsistencies in the witness’s statement made to the police, stating that it did not impact the overall reliability of his identification.

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Addressing the defense’s argument that the witness may have been influenced by the investigating officer, the court highlighted the absence of any substantial evidence supporting this claim and considered it a baseless suggestion.

The court relied on the recovery of Raghav’s stolen mobile phone from Nabi, which further validated Noor’s identification as the perpetrator of the robbery. It concluded that Noor not only committed the theft but also participated in vandalizing and setting fire to properties, including a shop and motorcycles belonging to another shop owner, Dalip.

Furthermore, the court noted that the same mob had vandalized and set fire to a furniture shop in the area.

Regarding Nabi’s involvement, the court found that he failed to provide a justifiable reason for possessing the stolen mobile phone, leading to the presumption that he knowingly possessed it unlawfully.

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In conclusion, the court ruled that the charges against both accused individuals were proven beyond a reasonable doubt. Noor faced charges of arson, causing mischief by fire, robbery, and rioting, while Nabi was held accountable for dishonestly receiving stolen property.

The Khajuri Khas police station had filed a chargesheet against Noor for the mentioned penal provisions related to the offences, while Nabi was accused specifically of knowingly receiving stolen property.