Delhi High Court Dismisses Petitions on Riots and Jamia Violence

The Delhi High Court on October 5 dismissed petitions seeking investigations and other relief over the 2020 northeast Delhi riots and violence at Jamia Millia Islamia in 2019. A bench of Justices Vivek Chaudhary and Manoj Jain said the cases were being decided in two parts, one concerning the northeast Delhi riots and the other the Jamia violence. The court’s detailed judgment had not been released when the decision was announced, leaving its legal reasoning and its treatment of the separate requests unclear. The bench said the petitions were dismissed for reasons set out in the judgment. The court had reserved its verdict on the batch on July 24. Petitioners in the northeast Delhi matters had sought a special investigation team, an inquiry commission or a fact-finding committee to examine the violence. Other requests included medical treatment and compensation for those affected, and registration of first information reports against police officers accused of wrongdoing. Some petitions also sought FIRs against political leaders over alleged hate speeches and an investigation into the violence and police conduct.