City court acquits man in 2020 Delhi riots, criticises investigation

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court acquitted Sandeep Bhati, accused of rioting and arson during the 2020 North East Delhi riots, and reprimanded the investigating officer (IO) for falsely implicating him using a manipulated video, as reported by The Indian Express.

In the January 8 ruling, Additional Sessions Judge Pulastya Pramachala criticised the IO for mishandling the investigation, highlighting the wrongful inclusion of six complaints in the chargesheet without thorough investigation.

The court also condemned the reliance on a seven-second video clip, which did not show Bhati assaulting the victim, as the basis for implicating him. Furthermore, the IO’s presumption that the same mob was involved in multiple incidents lacked solid evidence and was not verified. The court also noted the absence of concrete proof beyond witness testimonies.