Panchkula, April 13: A local court in Panchkula has acquitted 29 accused in a case linked to the 2017 riots that erupted following the conviction of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in a rape case.
Over 40 people were killed in the violence, but no conviction has been secured in any of the 152 riot-related cases registered so far.
The acquitted individuals were facing charges of rioting, criminal intimidation, assault on public servants, violation of Section 144 of the CrPC, criminal conspiracy, and offences under the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act.
The case was based on a complaint filed by Assistant Commandant Santosh Pandit of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), who stated that a 40-member team was deployed at HAFED Chowk in Sector 2, Panchkula, on August 25, 2017. The mob, consisting of followers of Ram Rahim, allegedly attacked the security personnel, injuring seven.
However, Chief Judicial Magistrate Ajay Kumar ruled that there was insufficient evidence to link the accused to the incident. “None of those witnesses identified the accused either as assailants or the persons who did any vandalism or arson on August 25, 2017,” the judgment noted.
The court also found the prosecution’s reliance on confessional statements made in police custody to be inadmissible. “There is no direct evidence available, which can connect the accused persons with the alleged commission of crime,” the April 9 judgment stated.
“Though prosecution is heavily relying upon the confessional statements of accused persons suffered in the police custody… the aforesaid confessional statements cannot be admitted into evidence because of the bar contained under Sections 25 and 26 of the Indian Evidence Act,” it added.
The acquittal adds to the growing list of riot-related cases without convictions, raising questions about investigation and evidence gathering in one of the most violent incidents in Haryana’s recent history.
