A Delhi court on Monday directed the deputy commissioner of police (DCP) in charge of the North East district to apprise all the investigating officers (IOs) in the 2020 Delhi riots cases of a Delhi Police order that directed them to remain present before the judge during the stage of arguments on charge.
“As far as I remember, in the past, in respect to cases of riots itself, an office order was issued from the headquarters of Delhi Police at the behest of the Commissioner of Police, thereby requiring all the IOs to remain present before the court, at least at the stage of arguments and consideration on the point of charge,” Additional Sessions Judge Pulastya Pramachala of Karkardooma Court said.
In a report produced in court, the station house officer (SHO) of Dayalpur police station (where the case being heard was filed) stated that Investigating Officer Rajiv Kumar was not aware that his appearance in front of the judge on December 17 last year during the hearing of the case was necessary.
“It appears that such office orders are not within the knowledge of either SHO or IO. Let ld. DCP (N/E) take suitable steps to apprise his subordinate officials about the…office orders issued by Superior Officers of the department and a mechanism be also evolved to fix the accountability for ignoring such orders,” the judge stated in his order.
The court was hearing a case of rioting during the 2020 Northeast Delhi riots where the Delhi Police had accused a man named Wasim of rioting with a deadly weapon, arson and being part of an unlawful assembly.
This story was originally published in indianexpress.com.
