Delhi High Court Dismisses Petitions Over 2020 Riots

The Delhi High Court dismissed a batch of petitions on Monday seeking independent probes and legal action related to the 2020 North-East Delhi riots and the 2019 violence at Jamia Millia Islamia. A bench consisting of Justices Vivek Chaudhary and Manoj Jain rejected requests to register FIRs against various political leaders for alleged hate speeches that purportedly instigated the riots, which caused at least 53 deaths and 700 injuries.

The court denied requests for a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate alleged police atrocities at Jamia Millia Islamia during anti-CAA protests and rejected pleas for action against police officers for dereliction of duty. Additionally, the court dismissed a request for a National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe into alleged foreign funding and an international conspiracy behind the protests.

Opposing the petitions, the Delhi Police stated that three SITs had already been constituted under the Crime Branch. Police officials characterized the violence as a "conspiracy to destabilise the harmony in the society." In its ruling, the court stated that "for the reasons mentioned in the judgment, all the petitions are dismissed."