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HC gives Delhi Police two weeks to conclude inquiry in riots charge sheet leak matter
New Delhi: The Delhi high court on Tuesday granted two more weeks to Delhi police to undertake a “comprehensive inquiry” into the leakage of contents of the charge sheet and supplementary charge sheet filed in case related to communal violence in northeast Delhi last year, to the media even before cognisance was taken by the court
New Delhi: The Delhi high court on Tuesday granted two more weeks to Delhi police to undertake a “comprehensive inquiry” into the leakage of contents of the charge sheet and supplementary charge sheet filed in case related to communal violence in northeast Delhi last year, to the media even before cognisance was taken by the court.
Jamia Millia Islamia student and riots accsued Asif Iqbal Tanha approached the high court last year, alleging misconduct by police officials in leaking his alleged disclosure statement in the main charge sheet, recorded by the probe agency during the investigation, to the media.
Pulling up the Delhi Police for the delay in the inquiry, Justice Mukta Gupta asked how much time the Delhi police will take to complete the probe while remarking that “one institution which keeps moving even during a lockdown is the police department”.
To this, special public prosecutor (SPP) Rajat Nair said that the agency (police) was burdened with additional duties. Nair added that although notice was issued to parties concerned for the purposes of the inquiry, it could not be concluded on account of Covid lockdown.
SPP Nair sought two more weeks’ from the court to file the inquiry report which was granted by the court .
Advocate Sowjhanya Shankaran, representing Tanha, told the court that while an additional affidavit on a subsequent leak with respect to a supplementary charge sheet was filed, response from the State was not on record.
The judge proceeded to record SPP’s submission that “a comprehensive inquiry on the leakage of the contents of the charge sheet and the supplementary charge sheet is underway and is likely to be concluded within two weeks”, and listed the matter for hearing on August 5.
Tanha, who was arrested in May 2020, was recently released from jail after the high court granted him bail.
The police have alleged that Tanha, a resident of Abul Fazal Enclave in Shaheen Bagh, was a member of the Students Islamic Organization and was part of the Jamia Coordination Committee which spearheaded protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act.
