Charge sheet leak is theft or misconduct: Delhi riots accused to HC

The Delhi Police counsel said the matter has become infructuous since the incident took place in 2020

Student activist Asif Iqbal Tanha, who is an accused in the conspiracy case related to the February 2020 northeast Delhi riots and is booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act or UAPA, on Wednesday told the Delhi high court that the contents of the supplementary charge sheet filed against him were leaked either as part of a theft or was the misconduct of a public servant.

The hearing in the matter is set to continue on January 23.

Hearing Tanha’s plea seeking action against the leaks, justice Anup J Bhambani was informed by the activist’s counsel that while the police are entitled to give information with respect to a case, in the present case, the disclosure statements were read on prime time news, even when the charge sheet was not filed.

“When I am being remanded from time to time, those documents are not given to me but my ‘disclosure’ is given to the media, which is used page by page,” the counsel told the court.

The Delhi Police counsel said the matter has become infructuous since the incident took place in 2020. He said that a vigilance enquiry has already been conducted; however journalists refused to share the details of the source from whom they got the documents.

The hearing in the matter is set to continue on January 23.