Maha court acquits 1993 Mumbai riots case accused

A special court here has acquitted a man, now 46 years old, who was chargesheeted in connection with the 1993 communal riots in the city, giving him the benefit of the doubt and noting that he may be an “innocent bystander” and may not be part of the mob.

The accused, Shivpujan Rajbhar, who had been absconding, was traced and produced before the court on March 28, 2023.

Rajbhar, along with dozen others, had been chargesheeted by the police under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for attempt to murder and unlawful assembly.

Rajbhar was cleared of all the charges by additional sessions judge AA Kulkarni on May 4.

A detailed order was made available on Wednesday. Most of the other accused in the case have already been acquitted.

As per the prosecution, Rajbhar was part of a mob of around 300 to 400 people engaged in the hurling of stones, and glass bottles at each other during the communal riots 30 years ago.

The police had said the mob was uncontrolled and aggressive and didn’t heed the warning of a police constable at the spot.

The mob was throwing burning balls and tube lights. Police resorted to lathicharge to control the situation and eventually fired in the air, according to the prosecution