A Delhi court on Thursday awarded five-year jail sentence to convict Dinesh Yadav after he was found guilty of rioting and setting the house of a Muslim family ablaze.
The order was pronounced by Additional Sessions Judge Virender Bhatt. A detailed copy of the order is expected soon.
It is notable because it is the first sentencing in the cases arising out of the riots that had broken out in Northeast Delhi in February 2020, leading to the deaths of 53 people.
Dinesh Yadav was charged with offences involving rioting and deliberately setting the residence of a Muslim family on fire.
Yadav had been convicted last month for being a member of an unlawful assembly and rioting, and taking part in robbing and burning down the house of a 73-year-old woman.
The Karkardooma court had convicted Yadav for offences under Sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting armed with deadly weapon), 457 (house trespass), 392 (robbery) and 436 (mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to destroy house, etc.) of the Indian Penal Code. However, the section 436 needs to read with Section 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object)
The maximum sentence for the crimes is 10 years in jail.
The prosecution had claimed that Yadav was an active member of the riotous mob and played a role in vandalising and burning down the woman’s home in Bhagirathi Vihar in northeast Delhi’s Gokulpuri.
The elderly woman whose house has been attacked by the rioters, identified as Manori.
The woman had claimed that a mob of around 150 to 200 rioters attacked her house on February 25, when her family was away, and looted several valuables.
Yadav denied all the charges against him saying that he was being framed. He also chose not to lead any evidence in his defence.