Meerut, Feb. 8 -- The court of additional district and sessions judge (ADJ) on Saturday acquitted 23 people accused of murder, arson, vandalism and looting in a case linked to the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots, citing lack of evidence, senior defence counsel Satyendra Kumar Singh said. The verdict was delivered by ADJ Kanishk Kumar Singh in connection with violence that took place in Mohammadpur Raisingh village. On September 8, a mob allegedly entered the village, raised religious slogans and attacked houses belonging to members of another community. The case pertained to the large-scale communal violence that erupted in the district on September 7, 2013, leaving 60 people dead and thousands displaced. "After examining the evidence and witness testimonies, the court concluded that the prosecution failed to establish the charges beyond reasonable doubt," senior defence counsel Singh said. According to the prosecution, the mob vandalised and looted several houses before setting them on fire. During the violence, a villager named Raheesuddin was killed. The police had filed a charge sheet against 27 accused in the case. However, during the course of the trial, four of the accused - Praveen, Nakul, Bablu and Suraj - died, reducing the number of accused facing trial to 23. The first FIR in the case was lodged by sub-inspector Ganga Prasad against 1,300 unidentified people for murder. The FIR also mentioned that vehicles belonging to police personnel were set on fire by the mob. Subsequently, Raheesuddin's son, Hanif, filed a second FIR at Bhora Kalan police station, accusing the mob of spreading religious frenzy, murder and rioting. The court acquitted Vicky, Badal, Madan, Jaynarayan, Brajveer, Vinod, Kala, Praveen, Anil, Subhash, Sanjeev, Karan, Sher Singh, Rishipal, Sahansarpal, Pramod, Jagpal, Prempal, Pappu, Neetu, Bhoora and Harendra - all residents of Mohammadpur Raisingh. The court also noted that one of the accused was lodged in jail in connection with a non-bailable warrant (NBW) in another case and could not be produced before the court....