Delhi riots: HC questions police on note by senior officer

New Delhi, July 31 The Delhi High Court on Friday questioned the Delhi Police over an order, passed by the special commissioner of police to the heads of the teams investigating the Delhi riots, asking "what was the need of issuing such order"

"Your order seems mischievous, what was the need to issue such an order, is it a regular practice?" questioned a single judge bench of Justice Suresh Kumar Kait while hearing a petition which claimed that on July 8, Special CP (Crime & Economic Offences Wing) Praveer Ranjan wrote a letter to the riots probe teams, stating that there was anger and resentment among the Hindus in northeast Delhi after the recent arrests of some Hindu youth in connection with the Delhi riots.

The comments from the judge came after Central government standing counsel Amit Mahajan raised questions on the petition, filed by Sahil Parvez and Mohammad Saeed Salmani, saying, "It is a highly mischievous petition. Everything has been placed before My Lords and this petition should be dismissed with costs."

During the course of hearing, Advocate Mehmood Paracha, appearing for the petitioners, stated that the order under question is "shocking".

"The order I have received is utmost shocking," Paracha submitted before the bench.

Special Commissioner Praveer Ranjan while appearing before the court submitted that the order was passed by him after he received an intelligence input and representation from the local people.

To which the judge enquired, "Is it a regular practice? Is this done whenever such representation or input comes in?"

Ranjan responded in the affirmative saying that "it is a regular practice which is done when such an input comes in"

Following these submissions, the court has now asked Ranjan to place five such orders of a similar nature before it within two days, while placing the matter for further hearing on August 7.

While petitioner Sahil Parvez's father was shot in the Delhi riots, the other petitioner Mohammad Saeed Salmani's mother was a victim of mob lynching during the riots. The petitioners have questioned the senior police officer's note claiming that the letter was an attempt to influence the investigation.

Communal clashes broke out in northeast Delhi on February 24 after clashes between citizenship law supporters and protesters spiralled out of control leaving at least 53 people dead and around 200 injured.

( With inputs from IANS )