A court here has sentenced a convict to rigorous imprisonment for 10 years for setting ablaze two houses during the 2020 northeast Delhi communal riots.

Additional Sessions Judge Pulastya Pramachala was on Tuesday hearing the case against the convict Jony Kumar, who had been held guilty for the Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 148 (rioting, armed with a deadly weapon) and 436 (mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to destroy house, etc.) read with the offence of unlawful assembly.

Kumar was also convicted under IPC section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) on February 14 this year.

The prosecution had accused Kumar of being a part of the riotous mob that torched two houses in the Khajuri Khas area here on February 25, 2020 during the riots.

Special Public Prosecutor Naresh Kumar Gaur sought maximum punishment for the convict, saying "it is our duty as a society to protect the safety and security of our communities".

"Impact of the crime committed by the convict in this case is not limited to loss caused to the complainant and other victim only. Rather acts of rioters left a deep scar over the social fabric…The alleged acts instilled a sense of insecurity among the people while jeopardising the communal harmony," the court said.

It awarded five years of rigorous imprisonment each for the two incidents of arson at the houses of Mohammed Safil and Mohammed Daaud along with fines of Rs 50,000 and Rs 40,000, respectively.

The court also sentenced Kumar to one year of simple imprisonment under IPC section 148 and six months of simple imprisonment under IPC section 188.

The offences under sections 148 and 188 would run concurrently with the first five-year sentence for the offence of arson, the court said.

The special public prosecutor said the two five-year sentences for the incidents of arson would run consecutively.

He said in cases where an accused is convicted for two or more charges, the general rule under the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) prescribes for running consecutive sentences unless the court directs that such punishments shall run concurrently.

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