New Delhi: The Delhi court judge, who recently discharged student activists Sharjeel Imam, student activists Asif Iqbal Tanha and Safoora Zargar, and eight others in the 2019 Jamia Nagar violence case, has recused himself from hearing a similar matter citing “personal reasons”.
On February 4, Additional Sessions Judge Arul Varma of the Saket district court observed that the police did not apprehend the “actual perpetrators” but “managed to rope” the accused persons as “scapegoats”.
“Due to personal reasons, the undersigned hereby recuses from hearing the matter. Accordingly, let the present matter be put up before the principal district and sessions judge, southeast district, Saket court, for February 13 at 12 pm with a request to transfer the matter,” PTI reported quoting an order passed by the judge on Friday.
Last Saturday, while discharging the 11 accused in the other case, the judge had said that legal proceedings were initiated in a “perfunctory and cavalier fashion” and “allowing them to undergo the rigmarole of a long-drawn trial, does not augur well for the criminal justice system of the country”.
Delhi Police had registered an FIR in connection with the violence that erupted after a clash between police and people protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in December 2019.
The accused in the present case also include Meeran Haider, Ashu Khan, Qasim Usmani, Mohammad Hassan, Mohd Jamal, Mohd Sahil Muddassir, Faheem Hasmee, Sameer Ahmad, Mohd Umar, Mohd Adil, Roohul Ameer, Chandan Kumar and Saqib Khan.
The Jamia Nagar police station had registered an FIR under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with a deadly weapon), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions) and 332 (Voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty).
