LI Network
Published on: 10 July 2023 at 15:53 IST
The Delhi High Court has ruled that accused Aman should be further charged for the offense punishable under Section 412 IPC, as ordered by the court. Additionally, all accused individuals have been found liable to be tried for various offenses under the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including Sections 120-B IPC read with 147/148/302/341/395 IPC, as well as offenses punishable under Sections 147/148/302/341/395 IPC read with Sec. 120B and 149 IPC, and Section 188 IPC, and 153-A IPC read with Section 149 IPC.
The matter has been scheduled for Prosecution Evidence (PE) in the months of October and November. The case pertains to the murder of Shahbaz, a resident of Husainiya Masjid, Loni, Ghaziabad, U.P., who was brutally assaulted and burnt alive on February 25, 2020, on Main Khajuri Pusta Road, near Kali Ghata Cut Delhi.
According to Matloob, the brother of the deceased Shahbaz, his brother went to fetch medicines on February 25, 2020, but later informed him about ongoing riots in the Karawal Nagar area. However, when Matloob tried to contact Shahbaz again, his mobile phone was switched off. Shahbaz’s father reported him missing, and Matloob learned from a person named Ankit that his brother had been murdered and burnt by rioters on Khajuri Pusta Road.
On February 27, 2020, Matloob asked Shahbaz’s friend Saqib to check the body at the GTB Hospital mortuary. The body was identified as Shahbaz’s based on DNA matching with his father’s samples.
During the investigation, six accused individuals, including Aman, Vikram alias Vicky, Rahul Sharma, Ravi Sharma, Dinesh Sharma, and Ranjeet Rana, were arrested based on mobile phone locations and witness statements. Another individual named Achin alias Sachin was mentioned in the statements and disclosure statements but could not be traced.
The prosecution presented statements of eyewitnesses and the recovery of a wristwatch from Aman to establish the case against the accused persons. The defense counsel’s contention that the charges of murder were not applicable to Ranjeet Rana and Vikram alias Vicky was rejected by the court.
The judge stated that witness statements and Rahul’s confession indicate that the accused had assembled with a preplanned objective, leading to the assault and killing of Shahbaz and another Muslim individual. The court found grave suspicion against all accused individuals, including Ranjeet Rana and Vikram, who joined the mob in furtherance of the preplanned objective.