A special court on Friday acquitted 35 people, accused of rioting and shouting slogans against a minority community, during the 1992-93 communal riots in Mumbai.

Magistrate R C Bapat-Sarkar acquitted the accused after the prosecution failed to prove the charges against them.

Of the total 49 accused in the riot case, 12 are absconding while two passed away during the 14-year-old trial.

According to the prosecution, on January 11, 1993, a group of 50-100 people took out a morcha at Lower Parel in Mumbai, pelted stones and shouted slogans against a particular community.

The crowd pelted stones at members of the minority community. The police opened fire to disperse the mob, said the prosecution.

Defence counsel J K Tandulekar said the 35 accused had been falsely implicated in the riot case.

"The police randomly arrested people from their residences, claiming that they had taken out a morcha during the curfew," he said.

During the trial, the prosecution examined 12 eyewitnesses, but none of them identified any of the accused.