A court in Delhi has granted permission for the prosecution to begin presenting arguments on the framing of charges in the 2020 northeast Delhi riots case starting from September 5
The case involves allegations of a larger conspiracy behind the riots.
Additional Sessions Judge Sameer Bajpai dismissed applications filed by the accused—Athar Khan, Asif Iqbal Tanha, Meeran Haider, Natasha Narwal, and Devangana Kalita—who had requested the court to instruct the Delhi Police to disclose whether the investigation was complete. The accused argued that the court could not proceed with the hearing on framing charges until the investigation was finalized, as indicated in the police’s final reports.
The court acknowledged that the prosecution, even in its most recent supplementary chargesheet, had stated that the investigation was ongoing, and the results would be submitted later. However, the judge referred to a February 2023 Delhi High Court verdict, which allows the court to question the prosecution on whether the chargesheet is final and the case is ready for arguments on charges.
The court noted that the prosecution had clarified in its written submissions that the investigation regarding the accused is complete, indicating that the case is ready for arguments on charges. Consequently, the court ordered the prosecution to begin addressing arguments on the next scheduled hearing date.
The case, registered on March 6, 2020, under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), implicates 20 individuals, including activists Sharjeel Imam and Khalid Saifi, and former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain. The accused are alleged to be the masterminds behind the February 2020 riots, which resulted in 53 deaths and over 700 injuries. The Delhi Police Special Cell is handling the investigation.
(With inputs from agency)
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