A Delhi court recently convicted five individuals of culpable homicide not amounting to murder in connection with the communal riots of 2020 in North East Delhi. The court, however, acquitted two others of all charges related to the death of 22-year-old Monish (also referred to as Mosin in the order).

Sessions Judge Pulastya Pramachala of the Karkardooma Court found that the five convicted persons—Ashish Goli, Arun Munna, Aman Kashyap, Pardeep Rai, and Devender Yadav—had assaulted the victim but did not inflict fatal injuries that directly caused his death.

The court noted that, due to uncertainties about whether the accused intended to strike the victim’s head or whether they were responsible for such blows, it was not possible to attribute a specific role to them in causing the fatal injuries. As a result, their liability was limited to culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

The two acquitted individuals, Krishan Kant and Rahul Bhardwaj, had been accused of stealing Monish’s mobile phone after his death. However, the court observed that they were not part of the mob and found that the prosecution had failed to prove the theft charges against them.

During the February 2020 riots, the accused were alleged to have led a mob that beat Monish with sticks. In its chargesheet, the Delhi Police had charged all seven individuals with being part of an unlawful assembly involved in murder, rioting, theft, and criminal conspiracy under the Indian Penal Code. 

Special Public Prosecutor Madhukar Pandey and Advocate Daksh Sachdeva represented the Delhi Police, while Advocates Rakshpal Singh and Sujeet Kumar defended the accused.