New Delhi: A Delhi court has rebuked the Delhi Police for its failure to submit a supplementary charge sheet in connection with the 2020 North-East Delhi violence case.
The delay in filing the charge sheet was attributed to the involvement of the Investigating Officer (IO) in security arrangements for the G20 Summit, which took place in the national capital on September 9-10.
Expressing dissatisfaction with the police’s explanation, Additional Sessions Judge Pulastya Pramachala of Karkardooma Courts emphasized the importance of law enforcement agencies balancing their responsibilities related to maintaining law and order with those concerning ongoing investigations.
Judge Pramachala noted that the additional time granted by the court to complete investigative tasks should be utilized more effectively.
The case under scrutiny is related to FIR 188 of 2020, which was registered at the Khajuri Khas police station based on a complaint from Sameeja, who alleged that her house was vandalized by a mob duirng the violence.
Subsequently, ten more individuals came forward with similar complaints, leading to the inclusion of their cases in the same FIR.
On July 20, the Station House Officer (SHO) and the IO requested more time to file a supplementary charge sheet and an application for the return of a complaint filed by an individual named Pappan.
However, the Special Public Prosecutor informed the court that the SHO was engaged in high court proceedings, and the IO was unavailable, likely due to their participation in the G20 Summit. Consequently, neither the supplementary charge sheet nor the application had been submitted as of the court’s inquiry.
The judge said that charges could not be framed in the case due to the incomplete work by the police and expressed dissatisfaction with their reluctance to fulfill their responsibilities.
The court referred the matter to the concerned Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) for North-East Delhi to ensure that the pending tasks are completed in accordance with the court’s previous order before the next hearing on October 6.
