A city court on Friday sentenced a man to rigorous imprisonment for seven years and his son to three years of simple imprisonment in two separate cases, saying the father, instead of showing the “right path” to his son, himself “acted ghastly”. The court, which was hearing the cases related to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, also observed that communal riots are among the most violent forms of public disorder that afflicts society.  

Additional Sessions Judge Pulastya Pramachala was hearing two cases against Mithhan Singh and his son Jony Kumar who were convicted of various offences, including those under IPC sections 147 (rioting) and 436 (mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to destroy house, etc.)  “Convict Jony Kumar shall undergo rigorous imprisonment for a period of seven years and convict Mithhan Singh shall undergo simple imprisonment for a period of three years for offence punishable under Section 436 IPC,” the judge said in the orders.

 “Communal riot is that menace, which poses a serious threat to the sense of fraternity among the citizens of our nation. Communal riots are treated as one of the most violent forms of public disorder that afflicts society and it leads to not only loss of life and property but also causes great damage to social fabric,” the judge added.  Noting the background of the convicts, ASJ Pramachala said the overall assessment showed “they were prone to get carried away by a misconceived sense of religious cause”.