25 Years Later, Rajasthan Court Acquits 13 In Malpura Double Murder Case During 2000 Communal Riots

Jaipur: A special court here in Rajasthan, handling communal riot cases, acquitted 13 persons accused in a 2000 double murder case in Tonk district, after giving them the benefit of doubt.

During the hearing on Tuesday, the court, presided over by Judge Shweta Gupta, observed that there have been serious lapses in the investigation into the double murder that took place during the 2000 Malpura riots in Tonk district.

Subsequently, the court ordered acquittal of 13 accused including Ratanlal, Kishanlal, Ramswaroop, Devkaran, Shyojiram, Ramkishore, Sukhlal, Chhotu, Bachchraj, Kistur, Hiralal, Satyanarayan and Kishanlal.

According to the prosecution, Mohammad Ali and Mohammad Salim were murdered on July 10, 2000, amid communal clashes in Malpura. Shahzad, a relative of the deceased, had lodged an FIR at the Malpura police station, alleging that members of a particular community had killed his brother and uncle. The FIR mentioned names of 22 persons as accused in the case.

On the other hand, defense lawyers VK Bali and Sonal Dadhich pointed out that the probe lacked thoroughness. Bali and Dadhich told the court the FIR filed was based on second-hand information. During the time of the incident, Section 144 was in force, raising doubts about presence of eyewitnesses. This apart, they mentioned that the murder weapon was never recovered by police. Along with this, identification parade was conducted for only one accused.

After hearing arguments of both the sides, the court acquitted the accused giving them the benefit of doubt. The court said three different officers were leading the probe, yet the case was not investigated properly.

Case Background

It is worth mentioning that eight accused were already discharged earlier by the High Court. One minor's case was transferred to the Juvenile Court, while remaining 13 were acquitted on Tuesday. These 13 people are also facing trial in another murder case during the same riots in 2000, and the court is expected to deliver the verdict in that case on August 24.

As per the information available, the 2000 riots involved violent clashes between two communities, during which local villagers Hariram and Kailash Mali lost their lives on one side, while four persons from the other side also died. Separate cases were filed after both sides lodged complaints. In the case concerning the murder of Hariram, the court had earlier sentenced eight persons including Islam, Mohammad Ishaq, Abdul Razzaq, Irshad, Mohammad Zafar, Sajid Ali, Bilal Ahmed and Mohammad Habib to life imprisonment. Meanwhile, in the case related to the death of Kailash Mali, the court acquitted all five accused.

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