Delhi Court acquits ten accused in 2020 Delhi Pogrom case, says prosecution failed to prove charges
Delhi: In a landmark decision, the Karkardooma Courts in Delhi have acquitted ten individuals who had been charged in connection with the 2020 Delhi riots. The court ruled that the prosecution had failed to provide sufficient evidence to substantiate the charges against the defendants.
The acquitted individuals are Mohammad Shahnawaz, Mohammad Shoaib, Shahrukh, Rashid, Azad, Ashraf Ali, Parvez, Mohammad Faisal, Rashid, and Mohammad Tahir. They faced charges of rioting, arson, theft, and vandalism in the Shiv Vihar area of Delhi.
The case stemmed from a complaint filed by Narender Kumar on March 1, 2020, at the Gokalpuri police station. Kumar alleged that a mob had vandalized his shop and subsequently looted his home, stealing gold, silver, and cash, while also setting his furniture ablaze. In total, 17 witnesses were examined, including 12 police officers.
However, the prosecution's case faltered due to inconsistencies and contradictions in witness testimonies. One key witness, who owned a shop near the incident site, testified that his shop remained unharmed. This contradicted earlier statements from a head constable and an assistant sub-inspector (ASI), who had claimed the shop was burned.
Additional Sessions Judge Pulastya Pramachala noted that the discrepancies in the testimonies of the police witnesses undermined the credibility of the prosecution's case. “It is unsafe to rely on the evidence provided by these witnesses to confirm that all the accused were involved in the attacks,” the judge stated.
The defense team, including advocates Saleem Malik and Abdul Ghaffar under the guidance of Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind’s Maulana Mahmood Asad Madani, successfully argued that the testimonies of key witnesses were unreliable. Many witnesses either retracted their statements or failed to identify the accused, further weakening the prosecution’s case.
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
