Aijaz baba/Ganderbal
Ganderbal
30 June 2025
In a significant judgment, the Hon’ble Court of Additional Special Mobile Magistrate Ganderbal on Monday acquitted 20 persons who were facing charges for the past nine years in connection with a case registered at Police Station Kheerbawani in 2016.
The case, registered under FIR No. 38/2016, involved serious charges under Sections 147, 148, 149, 336, 332, 427, and 341 of the Ranbir Penal Code (RPC), relating to rioting, unlawful assembly, endangering human life, voluntarily causing hurt to public servants, mischief, and wrongful restraint.
The accused, including Prince Ishtiyaq and others, were booked in connection with an alleged incident of rioting and public disorder in the Kheerbawani area in 2016.
After prolonged legal proceedings spanning nearly a decade, the Hon’ble Court observed that the prosecution failed to establish the charges against the accused beyond reasonable doubt. As a result, all 20 accused persons were acquitted of all charges.
Advocate Arif Rashid Shah, counsel for the accused, argued that the evidence produced by the prosecution was insufficient and failed to meet the legal standards required for conviction.
Following the acquittal, the accused expressed relief and said that the verdict has finally ended a long chapter of legal and mental distress.
