A local court in Muzaffarnagar has acquitted 37 accused in a 2013 riot-related murder case involving the killing of eight Muslim men, bringing a 13-year-long legal battle to a close. On February 20, 2026, Additional District and Sessions Judge Manjula Bhalotiya  delivered the verdict, acquitting all the accused due to lack of sufficient evidence. Background of the Case The case stemmed from the communal violence that erupted in Muzaffarnagar in 2013, one of the most serious i