A court in Hyderabad on Wednesday acquitted AIMIM MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi in the “hate speech” cases filed against him in 2013, citing insufficient evidence.

Judge K Jaya Kumar of the special sessions court for trial of MPs/MLAs, who pronounced the verdict, observed that there was no sufficient evidence to prove the cases against the accused and gave him benefit of doubt.

Akbaruddin Owaisi, the younger brother of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi, was present in the court when the judgement was delivered.

Akbaruddin allegedly used inflammatory and derogatory language against a community during his public speeches delivered at Telangana’s Nizamabad on December 8, 2012 and at Nirmal town on December 22, 2012.

Subsequently, cases were registered against Akbaruddin on January 2, 2013 under IPC Sections 153A (promoting enmity among people on grounds of religion), 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs), and other sections for making “hate” speeches. He was arrested and later released on bail.

Delivering the judgment, the court on Wednesday found him not guilty and accordingly, acquitted him of the charges.

However, the judge orally told Akbaruddin not to repeat this type of provocative speech in future.