Delhi riots case: can’t wait endlessly for forensic report, says HC

The Delhi High Court on Thursday said that it cannot wait “endlessly” for a forensic report in the case of a man who was allegedly beaten and forced to sing the national anthem during the 2020 riots, and died as a consequence of his injuries later.

Kismatun, the mother of the deceased man, Faizan, had moved the Delhi High Court in 2020, seeking a courtmonitored SIT probe into the death of her 23yearold son. A purported video that surfaced during the riots showed Faizan, along with four young Muslim men, being beaten up by policemen who were forcing them to sing the national anthem.

The petitioner claimed that fatal injuries, suffered by her son due to police beatings, were the reason for his death. She also alleged that police denied him medical treatment, causing him to succumb to his injuries on February 26, 2020.

Justice Anup

Jairam

Bhambhani has listed the matter for April 3 for inchamber hearing of the plea for an impartial probe.

The Delhi Police submitted in the court that forensic analysis of video footage was yet to be concluded by the National Forensic Sciences University in Gujarat. The analysis was initially done in Delhi as well.

“I will have to put a stop to the whole forensic examination that is going on in Gujarat. I can’t wait for it endlessly,” the court said. The analysis of the videos has been pending for almost 10 months.

The counsel for the petitioner submitted before the court that the forensic report is not needed for the plea of seeking an SIT probe in the case.

Special Public Prosecutor Amit Prasad said he would proceed without waiting for the report any longer and urged the court to permit him to make the submission inchamber without the presence of the petitioner as the matter pertains to “wider probe”.