2013 Muzaffarnagar Riots Case: Citing Lack Of Evidence, Court Acquits 37 In Murder Of 8 Muslims
Additional District Sessions Judge Manjula Bhalotia acquitted the eight people saying the prosecution failed to prove the charges against them beyond reasonable doubt.
Published : February 26, 2026 at 11:27 AM IST
By Deepak Kumar Tyagi
Muzaffarnagar: Citing lack of evidence, a court in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar has acquitted 37 accused in the case of the murder of eight Muslims during the 2013 riots.
Additional District Sessions Judge Manjula Bhalotia said that the prosecution failed to prove the charges against the 37 persons accused in the case beyond reasonable doubt while acquitting them. Defense lawyer Ajay Sehrawat stated that the trial was held in the Additional District and Sessions Judge Court No. 1. The prosecution presented more than 30 witnesses in this case, he said.
The particular case related to the murder of eight people stems from a complaint by a Muslim man named Imran against 110 people. In his complaint, Imran claimed that on September 8, 2013, a mob armed with sharp-edged weapons attacked the homes of members of the Muslim community in Kutba village. The complainant alleged that several homes were set on fire and property was looted during the incident.
In the attacks, eight people were killed in Kutba village, including Waheed, Shamshad, Irshad, Tarabu, Qayyum, Fayaz, Khatoon, and Momin.
Communal violence erupted in Muzaffarnagar in September 2013 after Bharatiya Janata Party leaders, including Suresh Rana, former party MLA Sangeet Som, and former MP Bharatendra Singh, allegedly made inflammatory speeches. The ensuing riots left at least 60 people dead and thousands of Muslim families displaced.
Numerous incidents of sexual harassment and abuse were also reported in the Muzaffarnagar and Shamli districts.
The attackers vandalized a mosque, set houses on fire, motorcycles, shops, and generators. Following an investigation by the Special Investigation Team (SIT), a charge sheet was filed naming 45 people as accused, and the separate cases were heard simultaneously.
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