A court here acquitted 22 people in the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riot-related murder, loot and arson case, citing lack of evidence.
Additional District and Sessions Judge Kanishk Kumar acquitted the accused on Saturday, observing that the prosecution had failed to prove the charges beyond reasonable doubt, government counsel Narendra Sharma said.
He said that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) has filed charges against 26 people in the case related to the incidents reported from Mohammadpur Raisingh village on September 8, 2013.
During the ongoing trial, four of the accused died, leaving 22 to face trial.
According to the prosecution, one Haneef filed a complaint that hundreds of rioters attacked houses in the village, looted property and later set the houses on fire.
It was alleged that the complainant’s father Rahishuddin was beaten to death during the attack.
The rioters were also accused of damaging a mosque and setting fire to a police constable’s motorcycle.
Those acquitted are Anil, Subhash, Sanjeev, Karan, Sher Singh, Rishipal, Hansarpal, Pramod, Vikki, Badal, Madan, Jainarain, Brijvir, Vinod, Kala, Parveen, Jagpal, Prempal, Pappu, Nitu, Bhura and Harender Singh, all residents of Rais Mohammad village.
During the 2013 riots in Muzaffarnagar, more than 60 people were killed and more than 40,000 were displaced.