Five years since the Northeast Delhi riots, verdicts have been pronounced in 109 of the 695 cases of rioting, arson, and unlawful assembly filed by the district police.In 2020, communal violence singed the district between February 24 and 26, leaving 53 dead, over 500 injured, and property worth crores damaged.The Indian Express looked at the detailed orders of all 109 judgments and found that 90 resulted in acquittals (82%) and 19 in convictions (18%). The acquittals, records show, are split evenly between the two communities.Also Read | 2020 riots: Delhi HC allows cross-examination of constable who named man as accused 5 years after incidentIn 51 acquittals out of 90 (57%), witnesses (either some or all) turned hostile. Further, in the vast majority of acquittals, while a case of rioting or unlawful assembly was made out, the witnesses were unable to identify the accused.Of these 695 cases, 16 have led to discharge (no prima facie evidence found during the stage of charge); four have been quashed (cancellation of FIRs); and five were cancelled (closure reports were filed).When contacted, the Delhi Police were not available for comment.The Indian Express looked at the 90 acquittals and found the following:Story continues below this ad– In 19 acquittals, courts noted that police identified the accused after considerable delay. In many cases, their testimonies became doubtful in the absence of police station records.– In 19 acquittals, there were contradictions in the statements of police witnesses or police officers.Also Read | 2020 riots larger conspiracy case: Being on WhatsApp group no indication of wrongdoing, Umar Khalid tells HC– In 15 acquittals, police witnesses identified the accused, saying that they knew them before the riots broke out. However, their testimonies did not stand the test of trial.– In 7 acquittals, the court noted that the witnesses, during cross-examination, stated that they were “suffering from memory loss” or other illnesses which made it difficult for them to identify the accused and “were also taking medicine for the same”.Story continues below this ad– In three, there was only a single public witness whose testimony the court found to be not substantive.– In another, the court was doubtful that the police witnesses, who were the only eyewitnesses in the case, were present when the incident occurred.– In two acquittals, a video wasn’t considered as evidence because it wasn’t tested for tampering and the FSL report for the video was missing.– In another, the court noted that the sole witness could have been tutored by the investigating officer.Story continues below this adAlso Read | 2020 Delhi riots case: Tell officers to remain present during arguments on charge, court tells DCP– One acquittal, the court noted, was a case of double jeopardy — the accused was already convicted in another FIR with similar allegations.– In two cases, the court noted that a police witness, who was the eyewitness, identified the accused but saw him at a different property than the one where the incident took place.– In four acquittals, the court noted that the police deposed in “a general way”.– In one case, the appearance of the accused in a video could be confirmed by scientific investigation but this was not done by the police, the court noted.– In three acquittals, police could not trace the eyewitnesses.Story continues below this adApart from the 695 cases, 62 other riot cases (which involved murder) were transferred to the Crime Branch — taking the total to 757. Of the 62 cases, four have ended in acquittals, and one each in conviction and closure. One FIR was quashed but the offences are being prosecuted in another FIR.