HC grants more time to Centre to file response on plea challenging North East Delhi riots report

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Thursday granted more time to the Government of India and others on a petition challenging the report of a fact-finding committee constituted by the Delhi Minorities Commission in relation to February 2020 North East Delhi violence.

The Bench of Justice DN Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh gave more time to the Government after Advocate Monika Arora appearing for the Centre sought more time to file its reply in the matter.

Earlier, the same bench had issued a notice in the petition and also sought responses from the Delhi Police and the publishers of the report.

The plea sought to quash and set aside a report dated June 27, 2020, published by a fact-finding committee.

The plea also challenged several private reports, including those published by Human Rights Watch, the Citizens and Lawyers Initiative and Amnesty International India.

The petitioner Dharmesh Sharma, a victim of the violence stated that the form and content of the reports are designed to deceive the judicial forums and the public at large.

According to Sharma, the reports are intended to prejudice the general public and the world at large against the investigations and subsequent proceedings in accordance with the law.

The petition claimed that the said reports have been made by individuals who have acted as "extra-constitutional private tribunals" and have sought to give credence to their reports by attaching their former constitutional and executive posts.

The petition says the reports of "extra-constitutional private tribunals" are based on evidence that was taken without any legal authority. Also, this evidence was taken selectively from people who have a vested interest in the subject matter.

According to the petitioner, the reports are not only biased but also impede the due process of law and the right to a fair trial in the matter.

Represented by Advocate Mahesh Jethmalani and Advocate Ashish Dikshit, the petitioner urged the Court to declare such reports by any statutory authorities, private organisations or "extra-judicial private tribunals" that are without any authority of law as void and ought not to be relied upon by any judicial forum including the courts where the matters in respect of Delhi riot cases are pending.

In February, violence took place in the northeast area of Delhi between groups supporting and opposing the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which led to the deaths of at least 53 people.