High Court To Hear Pleas Seeking SIT Probe Into 2020 Delhi Riots, 2019 Jamia Violence On January 23

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday (January 14) listed for hearing on January 23 a batch of petition seeking SIT or independent investigation into the 2020 North East Delhi riots and 2019 violence which broke out in Jamia Milia Islamia University. A division bench comprising Justice Navin Chawla and Justice Ravinder Dudeja noted that the matter was “part heard” before a coordinate bench. The Court, before which the petitions were listed for the first time, took note of an order passed by the earlier bench on December 11, 2025, which said that the matter be listed next for “further arguments.” “The order says list for further arguments. We are listing it (before same bench) for propriety reasons,” the Court said. It ordered that the matter be listed before a division bench headed by Justice Vivek Chaudhary on January 23, subject to orders of the Chief Justice. About Delhi Riots batchThe batch of petitions seek independent SIT investigation into the 2020 North East Delhi riots, registration of FIRs against politicians for alleged hate speeches, and action against errant police officials. The petitions were filed way back in 2020. One of the petitions has been filed by Shaikh Mujtaba seeking registration of FIR against BJP leaders Kapil Mishra, Anurag Thakur, Parvesh Verma and Abhay Verma over alleged hate speeches which incited the riots and action against errant police personnel.Another petitioner- Lawyers Voice, seeks action over alleged hate speeches by Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, as well as former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, Aam Aadmi Party MLA Amanatullah Khan, AIMIM leader Akbaruddin Owaisi, former AIMIM MLA Warris Pathan, Mehmood Pracha, Harsh Mander, Mufti Mohammad Ismail, Swara Bhasker, Umar Khalid, former Bombay High Court judge BG Kolse Patil and others.Petitioner Brinda Karat's plea seeks independent investigation into the complaints alleging acts, offences and atrocities by members of the police, RAF or state functionaries in relation to the riots. Another petition is moved by Ajay Gautam. He has asked for National Investigation Agency to investigate the funding and sponsoring of protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act.In addition to these claims, he had also asked for FIR to be registered against political leaders such as Waris Pathan, Asaduddin Owaisi and Salman Khurshid, for allegedly making inflammatory and hate speeches.In December 2021, the Supreme Court had asked the Delhi High Court to decide expeditiously, preferably within three month one of the petitions seeking FIR and investigation against politicians.About 2019 Jamia Violence batchA plea has been moved by various students of Jamia Millia Islamia who were allegedly attacked by the Delhi Police during the violence.One of the petitioners, Nabila Hasan, a law student at the time of incident, had filed the complaint before the NHRC. The Commission in its report said that the protest was an “unlawful assembly” and had invited police action against itself.Responding to the plea, the Delhi Police had said that the CCTV footage of cameras installed inside and outside the varsity and New Friends Colony area were collected “well in time” and have been “duly preserved.”Earlier, the Police had opposed Hasan's prayer seeking transfer of investigation in the FIRs connected with the violence from Delhi Police to an independent agency. It was contended that the prayer not only seeks to expand the scope of the plea, but also is based on "new cause of action."The Supreme Court on October 19, 2023, had requested "the High Court to hear out the matter early having regard to the fact that these matters are pending before the High Court for some time now."

High Court To Hear Pleas Seeking SIT Probe Into 2020 Delhi Riots, 2019 Jamia Violence On January 23

Nupur Thapliyal

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