NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Monday dismissed 15 petitions seeking the constitution of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the 2020 Northeast Delhi riots and the violence that broke out at Jamia Millia Islamia in 2019 during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
HC Declines Request for SIT Probe
A bench comprising Justice Vivek Chaudhary and Justice Manoj Jain divided the batch of petitions into two categories. The first related to the communal violence that erupted in Northeast Delhi in 2020, while the second concerned the violence at Jamia Millia Islamia in 2019. The petitioners had sought an independent investigation by an SIT into both incidents. However, the High Court declined the request and dismissed the pleas.
Pleas Sought FIRs Against Political Leaders
Some of the petitions also sought the registration of FIRs against several political leaders over their alleged inflammatory statements and hate speech. The pleas named leaders from different political parties, including Kapil Mishra and Parvesh Verma. Petitioners from different political backgrounds also sought an examination of statements allegedly made by Anurag Thakur, Kapil Mishra, Manish Sisodia and Akbaruddin Owaisi, among others.
The petitioners alleged that the statements attributed to these political leaders warranted an investigation to determine whether they had any role in the events surrounding the 2020 Delhi riots. The pleas also questioned aspects of the Delhi Police’s handling of the cases, including its investigation and subsequent arrests. The petitioners sought judicial intervention regarding the manner in which the police investigated and acted in connection with the violence.
