37 Accused Acquitted in Case of 8 Muslims' Murder During Muzaffarnagar Riots

A Muzaffarnagar court has acquitted 37 individuals due to lack of evidence in a case involving the murder of eight Muslims during the communal violence that occurred 13 years ago in 2013. According to a report by The Hindu, Additional District and Sessions Judge Manjula Bhalotia delivered the verdict on February 20, 2026, finding no evidence against any of the accused.

The case originated from a complaint filed by Mohammad Imran, a resident of Kutba village in Muzaffarnagar. The complaint alleged that on September 8, 2013, a mob of approximately 100 people armed with sharp weapons attacked the homes of people from the minority community. During this attack, several houses were set on fire and properties belonging to Muslims were looted.

Based on this complaint, the police registered a case against 37 Hindu men. However, during the lengthy legal process and trial, 8 of these accused persons passed away. The court has acquitted the remaining accused due to lack of evidence.

A lawyer associated with the case told The Hindu that during the trial, which lasted over a decade, 31 witnesses were presented in court, most of whom turned hostile and recanted their statements.

More than 60 people died in the communal riots that took place in Muzaffarnagar during August and September 2013. These riots are regarded as some of the worst in recent times in Uttar Pradesh. The violence led to the displacement of approximately 50,000 people, who still reside in rehabilitation colonies established by the government. At the time, the army was deployed to maintain law and order in the area, and over 500 FIRs were registered against hundreds of identified and unidentified individuals for crimes such as murder, gang rape, loot, and arson.

Former government counsel for Muzaffarnagar, Dushyant Tyagi, confirmed to The Hindu that in approximately 95 cases over the last 13 years, all accused have received a clean chit. He added that in almost all cases, the prosecution did not bother to file an appeal. According to Tyagi, convictions occurred in only one gang rape case and one murder case. The SIT submitted final reports in several cases stating that further investigation was not possible. Furthermore, the number of FIRs decreased during the trial as it was discovered that duplicate cases had been registered for the same crime.

This is not the first such instance. Earlier this month, another court acquitted 22 people in a case of murder, loot, and arson related to the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots due to lack of evidence.

On the other hand, a report submitted to the Supreme Court in 2021 stated that the Uttar Pradesh government had proposed to withdraw 77 cases related to the Muzaffarnagar riots. These cases involved allegations of delivering hate speeches against 12 BJP leaders, including former minister Suresh Rana, former BJP MLA Sangeet Som, former BJP MP Bhartendu Singh, and VHP leader Sadhvi Prachi.