HC asks police to give latest status of pending north east Delhi riots cases

PTI, Aug 23, 2021, 5:44 PM IST

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court Monday asked the Delhi Police to place before it the latest position of cases relating to north east Delhi riots of 2020, pending before trial courts here.

The high court said the police shall disclose in its report the status of the cases as to in how many of them charge sheets have been filed, charges have been framed and how many prosecution witnesses examined.

“Respondents (police) request to file counter affidavit bringing on record the latest position on filing of charge sheets and position of trial going on in the criminal courts. Time granted. List on October 8,” a bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh said.

The high court was hearing a batch of pleas related to the last year violence and alleged hate speeches by leaders which led to eruption of violence related to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.

The plea sought lodging of FIRs on the violence which has left at least 53 people dead and around 700 injured, and against political leaders for allegedly making hate speeches.

Another plea had alleged that Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, as well as AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Amanatullah Khan, and AIMIM MLA Waris Pathan also gave hate speeches.

The court was also hearing a PIL by Delhi resident Ajay Gautam seeking NIA probe under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) into the violence.

The petition has urged the court to direct the Centre to order the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to find out the “anti-national forces” behind the agitations and to probe the role of People”s Front of India (PFI) which is allegedly “funding, motivating and supporting the protests”.

Apart from seeking action against those who allegedly gave the hate speeches, the pleas have also sought other reliefs, which include setting up of an SIT, FIRs against police officers who were allegedly involved in the violence and disclosure of persons arrested and detained.

In its response to these prayers, police had said it had already created three special investigation teams (SIT) under the crime branch and there was no evidence till now that its officers were involved in the violence.

It had added that the families of people arrested and detained in connection with the riots had been informed.

The police, in its affidavit earlier, had said that investigations into the northeast Delhi riots have not revealed any evidence till now that political leaders instigated or participated in the violence.

It had said that it “acted promptly, vigilantly and effectively without any fear or favour as a result of which violence could be contained in a few days and could be confined to a limited area”.

It had said its prima facie investigations revealed that this was not a case of any sporadic or spontaneous violence “but appears to be a part of a well thought of conspiracy to destabilise the harmony in the society”.

The police had said the investigation conducted so far “is pointing towards a wider and a larger conspiracy and concerted attempts of creating disruption of law and order situation in the national capital territory of Delhi through violent means by disrupting communal harmony in the state and to perpetrate chaos in the society.”