Delhi riots : High Court stays fine on Delhi police

New Delhi:The Delhi High Court on Wednesday stayed the order imposing a fine on the police in a case related to northeast Delhi riots that took place on 24 February 2020.

The trial court called the investigation into the case "callous and farcical" and had imposed Rs. 25,000 on Delhi police in a challenge to the magisterial court order that had directed Delhi Police to register an FIR on the complaint of one Mohammad Nasir.

Additional Sessions Judge Vinod Yadav had pulled up the police for lack of efficacy and fairness in the investigation in the case.

The fine was to be recovered from the station house officer (SHO) of the Bhajanpura police station and his supervising officers. The police challenged the trial court order and called it "unwarranted and uncalled for".

Mohammad Nasir had lost his left eye after suffering a gunshot injury.

The police had taken a stand that there is no need to file a separate FIR on the matter of Nasir's injury.

The judge dismissed the police's argument and had said that Nasir can exhaust all remedies available to him to get a separate FIR.

Advocate Mehmood Pracha, representing Mohammad Nasir, said that the police's stand was misleading and his client was under "tremendous pressure to withdraw'' his pleas before the court.

Additional Solicitor General S V Raju, appearing for the police, said that the main grievance at the moment was against the costs and the strictures. The HC issued a notice and sought the response of the complainant in ten days.

However, the High Court refused to interfere with the trial court's order and said that the HC cannot expunge the remarks without hearing from the police. "Costs may not be deposited till the next date of hearing".

Additional Solicitor General S V Raju argued that the alleged incident had already been thoroughly investigated and the accused was found to be not present at the spot at the relevant time.