Breaking | Delhi Riots, Jamia Violence: Delhi HC Rejects Plea For SIT Probe, FIRs Against Politicians
A Division Bench of Justice Vivek Chaudhary and Justice Manoj Jain of the Delhi High Court on Monday dismissed the batch of petitions, which had been pending since 2020. The detailed judgments are yet to be released.
The Delhi High Court today dismissed a batch of petitions seeking an independent investigation into the 2020 North-East Delhi riots and the violence that occurred at Jamia Millia Islamia University in December 2019 (during the CAA March).
A Division Bench comprising Justice Vivek Chaudhary and Justice Manoj Jain also rejected pleas seeking registration of FIRs against several political leaders over alleged hate speeches made during the riots, besides action against police officials accused of dereliction in connection with the violence.
The petitions, pending since 2020, raised various allegations about how the Delhi Police and other authorities handled and investigated the incidents.
Pronouncing the verdict on Monday, the Bench said that the petitions were being dismissed for the reasons set out in the judgments. The detailed judgments are yet to be released.
Pleas concerning 2020 Delhi riots
One of the petitions sought FIRs against BJP leaders including Parvesh Verma, Kapil Mishraa and Anurag Thakur, alleging that their speeches had contributed to the circumstances leading to the riots.
Another petition raised allegations concerning speeches attributed to a number of political and public figures, including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Manish Sisodia, Amanatullah Khan, Akbaruddin Owaisi, Waris Pathan, Mehmood Pracha, Harsh Mander, Mufti Mohammad Ismail, Swara Bhasker and Umar Khalid, among others.
The plea sought legal action in relation to the alleged speeches.
Former BJP MP Brinda Karat had also approached the High Court seeking an independent investigation into complaints alleging offences and acts of violence by police personnel, members of the Rapid Action Force and other State functionaries during the riots. Another petition by Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind similar reliefs.
Another petitioner sought an investigation by the National Investigation Agency into the alleged funding and sponsorship of protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, it was alleged that theprotest was part of international conspiracy.
His petition also sought registration of FIRs against several political leaders, including Salman Khurshid and Asaduddin Owaisi over alleged inflammatory speeches.
Pleas over 2019 Jamia violence
The batch also included petitions arising from the violence at Jamia Millia Islamia University in December 2019, with students alleging excessive use of force by the Delhi Police.
A law student had approached the National Human Rights Commission in relation to the incident. The NHRC had subsequently described the gathering as an “unlawful assembly” and observed that it had invited police action.
The petitioners had sought transfer of the investigation in FIRs relating to the Jamia violence from the Delhi Police to an independent agency.
The Delhi Police opposed the prayer, contending that the attempt to seek transfer of investigation effectively introduced a fresh cause of action into the proceedings.
The police also told the Court that it had collected and preserved CCTV footage from cameras installed inside and outside the university, as well as in the New Friends Colony area.
The Supreme Court had, in October 2023, asked the High Court to hear the matter at an early date, noting that the cases had been pending before it for a considerable period.