Cop's death during protest: HC asks Centre, police to respond

Justice G P Mittal, who also issued notices to the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Delhi government, asked the police to file its report within a week after taking note of the plea of eight youths for quashing of the FIR against them in the constable's death case.

Shantanu Kumar and seven other accused have moved the high court for quashing of the FIR lodged on December 23, 2012 under penal provisions of attempt of murder and rioting.

Police later invoked section 302 (Murder) of the IPC against them after Tomar's death at a hospital here.

"The whole city is scared as a sister was sexually assaulted and the brothers who came out on roads to protest were made accused by the Delhi police.

"The head of the Delhi police needs to be called here in the court and asked to give reasons as to how he made false statements in his press conference about the whole case," said the counsel for accused.

He also referred to the alleged dissimilarities in the statements of Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar, two eye-witnesses and a doctor of Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital to buttress his allegation that Tomar collapsed on his own and was not assaulted by the accused protestors.

The counsel said the video footage of DMRC amply suggests that two accused, Kailash Joshi and his brother Amit, were travelling in a metro at the time of the incident and their false implication in this case raises a serious issue.

Taking note of the submission, the court asked city police to file the report and fixed the matter for further hearing on January 15. It also allowed the accused to amend their petition to insert an additional prayer for CBI investigation in the whole incident.