NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Friday scheduled October 9 for hearing a series of petitions related to the February 2020 violence in North-East Delhi, including the alleged hate speeches by several BJP leaders.
The attack on people protesting the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) claimed at least 53 lives and left around 700 people injured. The petitions primarily call for the registration of FIRs against several BJP leaders accused of delivering hate speeches that allegedly fueled the violence.
Emphasising the importance of addressing the petitions, a high court bench led by Justice Prathiba M. Singh and accompanied by Justice Amit Sharma stated that, given the time that has passed since the violence occurred, it was necessary to evaluate whether the requested reliefs are still relevant.
The court directed all parties to submit written arguments.
Among the petitions pending before the high court are the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the violence; petition by one Ajay Gautam seeking an investigation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) to identify any “anti-national forces” behind the unrest and the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) by Shaikh Mujtaba Farooq demanding FIR against BJP leaders Anurag Thakur, Kapil Mishra, Parvesh Verma, and Abhay Verma.
Another petitioner, Lawyers Voice, has sought similar action against Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, as well as several other prominent figures, including AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan, AIMIM leader Akbaruddin Owaisi, and former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia.
The Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind has filed a PIL requesting the establishment of an independent SIT to conduct an impartial investigation into the violence. However, the Delhi Police have maintained that they have already formed three SITs under the Crime Branch to investigate the events and have found no evidence implicating their officers or political leaders in the violence. The police have registered 757 FIRs in connection with the violence.
Supreme Court ruling on pending petitions
The Supreme Court, in an order of December 2021, had requested the high court to dispose of expeditiously, preferably within three months, a plea seeking registration of FIRs against some politicians for their alleged hate speeches which purportedly led to the attacks on protesters.