Investigation in 2020 Delhi riots cases is very poor, notes court

Additional Sessions Judge Vinod Yadav on Monday noted that investigation in a number of 2020 northeast Delhi riots cases is very poor. He further sought the intervention of the Delhi Police Commissioner.

"It is painful to note that in a large number of cases of riots, the standard of investigation is very poor," the Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) said. He made the observations while framing charges against one Ashraf Ali for allegedly attacking police officials with acid, glass bottles and bottles during the pogrom, which occurred on February 25, 2020. He added that investigating officers did not appear in court in a majority of cases. The police file half-baked charge sheets and do not conclude the investigation logically, resulting in the accused continuing to be in jail.

"This case is a glaring example, wherein victims are police personnel itself, yet the IO did not bother to collect the sample of acid and to have its chemical analysis. The IO has further not bothered to collect the opinion about the nature of injuries," he noted in an order dated August 28.

Furthermore, these investigating officers do not brief prosecutors for arguments on charges. Instead, they merely mail a PDF of the charge sheet to them on the morning of the hearing. He further asked for a copy of the order to be sent to Commissioner of Delhi Police "for his reference and directing the taking of remedial steps". It is high time that the DCP of North-East District and other higher officers take note of his observations and take immediate remedial action required.

"They are free to seek the assistance of experts in this regard, failing which there is a likelihood of injustice being caused to the persons involved in these cases," Vinod Yadav added.

The northeast Delhi pogrom, which occurred in February 2020, mostly targeted the Muslims of the region. It left at least 53 people dead and over 700 injured.