NEW DELHI: A Delhi court has expressed concern over the delay in disposal of riots cases due to the non-appearance of Special Public Prosecutors (SPPs) and directed the Delhi Police to appoint more prosecutors to represent the State.
Additional Sessions Judge Virender Bhat made the remarks after three Special Public Prosecutors failed to appear for the hearing in a riots case for various reasons, as a result of which the examination of prosecution witnesses could not take place.
"This is the state of affairs with regards to these riot cases, which are very sensitive in nature and for which this special court was set up. These cases were assigned to a panel of SPPs formed by the police so as to ensure proper and effective prosecution," the judge stated in an order dated December 9.
He added that the SPPs to whom the cases are assigned does not appear in the court in several cases on account of which cases have to be adjourned without conducting any proceedings thereby resulting in the delay of their disposal.
"Earlier also, I had communicated this state of affairs to the DCP, NorthEast (NE) with instructions to take corrective measures. Let a copy of this order be sent to the DCP, NE who is impressed upon to take this aspect seriously and appoint further SPPs to represent the State in these riot cases," the judge directed.
In September, another court hearing the riots cases had come down heavily on the police for its "lackadaisical approach" and said that no steps for the proper prosecution of 2020 riots cases were taken by the Police Commissioner.
Communal clashes had broken out in northeast Delhi in February 2020, after violence between the Citizenship (Amendment) Act supporters and its protesters spiraled out of control leaving at least 53 people dead and over 700 injured.