Mirchpur Dalits killing case: HC convicts 33, 12 gets life term

The Delhi High Court today overturned the acquittal of 20 persons in the 2010 Mirchpur Dalit killing case while observing that instances of atrocities against Scheduled Castes have not abated even after 71 years of Independence.

The high court also upheld the conviction of 13 persons by the trial court and enhanced the punishment of some of the convicts.

A 60-year-old Dalit man and his physically challenged daughter were burnt alive by members of the Jat community in Mirchpur village in Haryana's Hisar district in April 2010.

With today's verdict, 12 out of 33 convicts are sentenced to life imprisonment for the offences, including murder under the IPC and committing mischief by fire or explosive substance by a member of a community other than SC/ST, intending to cause damage property of a member of the Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe community under the SC/ST (Prevention Of Atrocities) Act.

A bench of Justices S Muralidhar and I S Mehta said 71 years after Independence, instances of "atrocities" against Scheduled Castes by those belonging to dominant castes have shown "no sign of abating".

"The incidents that took place in Mirchpur between April 19 and 21, 2010 serve as yet another grim reminder of 'the complete absence of two things in Indian society' as noted by Dr B R Ambedkar when he tabled the final draft of the Constitution of India before the Constituent Assembly on November 25, 1949. One was 'equality' and the other 'fraternity'," the bench said in its 209-page verdict.

The court held that there was deliberate targeting of houses of members of Balmiki community by members of the Jat community and common object in the case was to "teach members of the Balmiki community a lesson and this has been fully achieved by the accused persons."