Northeast Delhi violence: Delhi Police files fresh status report

Delhi Police said that the police authorities acted promptly, vigilantly, and effectively without any fear or favor as a result of which violence could be contained in few days and to a limited area

Delhi Police on Friday filed a fresh status report in the High Court with regards to all 758 FIRs in connection with Northeast Delhi violence, along with the detail of present stages before the trial court, following court's direction passed on the last date of hearing. The status report stated that out of 758 cases registered, 695 cases are being investigated by North-East District police.

"62 cases which pertain to major incidents like murders etc were transferred to the Crime Branch, where three dedicated 'Special Investigating Teams' investigated these cases under continuous monitoring of superior officers. One case pertaining to the larger conspiracy behind the engineering of the communal riots in Delhi is being investigated by the Special Cell," the report added. The Division Bench of Justice DN Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh on Thursday directed Delhi Police to file the status report after a counsel appearing for Jamait ulema-i-hind alleged that the last status report filed by Delhi Police did not have many details.

Delhi Police also submitted that the FIRs arising out of or registered in connection with the riots which took place in North-East District in February-March 2020, have been or are being investigated promptly, diligently, and in accordance with law by the Delhi Police, which is now under trial in courts. It was also submitted that the investigations carried out by the state police are credible, fair, honest, impartial, and complete in all aspects.

The status report of Delhi Police further submitted that apart from bald, fanciful, and uncorroborated assertions and allegations made in the present batch of petitions, which are motivated and made for reasons extraneous to the process contemplated under the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), there exists not even an iota of substance in the present petitions, which are required to be dismissed only on the ground that the investigations and the process of law in connection with the aforesaid FIRs are at an advanced stage and no ground/ circumstances for transferring of the case to a new SIT exists. The bench is currently examining the batch of petitions raising questions on the investigation raising questions against law enforcement agencies.

Ajay Gautam, one of the petitioners in the matter, informed that all the batch matters have also been transferred to another bench of the Delhi High Court. The Delhi Police had earlier submitted before the High Court that the speeches of political leaders including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Anurag Thakur, Kapil Mishra, Pravesh Verma, and others are being examined and necessary action will be taken if it is found that their speech had any nexus with the violence.

The Delhi Police, in its affidavit filed on a batch on pleas pertaining to violence, said that the police authorities acted promptly, vigilantly, and effectively without any fear or favor as a result of which violence could be contained in few days and to a limited area. "It is also submitted that the petitioners in the present petition have not come before this court with clean hands. They have selectively chosen certain speeches and incidents to further their hidden agenda," Delhi Police said in its affidavit.

"It is stated that the selective outrage by the petitioners towards specific incidents while ignoring other abhorrent incidents of violence, itself manifest that the present petitions are not bonafide but motivated need to be dismissed," the affidavit added. Around 53 people lost their lives in the violence that erupted in northeast Delhi after clashes between two opposing factions over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).