COURT ORDERS FIR IN MOSQUE ATTACK DURING FEBRUARY RIOTS
A Delhi court has ordered the police to register an FIR and carry out a probe into the alleged attack –burning and desecration – on a mosque in Northeast Delhi’s Shiv Vihar during riots in the national capital last year. Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Mayuri Singh has directed SHO Karawal Nagar to register an FIR in the matter under appropriate sections, stating that a cognisable offence has been made out. On 25 February last year, a group of rioters had allegedly broken into the Madina Masjid after a power cut and set two LPG cylinders on fire causing an explosion. The next day, a saffron flag was hoisted over the masjid, amid chants of ‘Jai Shri Ram’. An application was filed by advocate M.R. Shamsad, under Section 156 (3) of CrPC, urging the court to direct the police to lodge a separate FIR into matter. Section 156 (3) of CrPC empowers a magistrate to order an investigation into cognisable offences.
DELHI RIOTS: 63-YEAR-OLD ACCUSED GETS BAIL FROM DELHI HC
The Delhi High Court granted bail to one Likayat Ali, who has been in custody since April 2020, for his alleged involvement with suspended Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Councillor Tahir Hussain in the North East Delhi riots of February, 2020. Justice Suresh Kumar Kait reportedly said, “Petitioner is directed to be released on bail forthwith on his furnishing personal bond in the sum of Rs.25,000/- with one surety in the like amount to the satisfaction of the trial court concerned.” The Single-judge Bench observed that there was no evidence on record to keep him behind bars. The court held, “Admittedly, no electronic evidence like CCTV footage or videography or photograph has been placed on record to establish petitioner’s presence at the spot at the time of alleged incident.”
COURT DENIES BAIL TO DELHI RIOTS ACCUSED
A Delhi court on February 8 denied bail to an accused in the February 2020 communal riots, observing that he is accused of having “brutally murdered” an innocent person “just because of the fact [that the victim] belonged to [the] other community”. Additional sessions judge Vinod Yadav of the Kakardooma court was hearing the bail application of Ashish Kumar, who is accused of being part of a “riotous mob” which attacked and killed two Muslim men. The judge observed that the accused could threaten or intimidate witnesses if released, according to LiveLaw. The prosecution said that Kumar was part of a mob of 30-40 persons which apprehended three people, Sanobar, Sunil Kumar and Suleman, at about 8:30-8:40 am on February 26, 2020. The mob, armed with dandas (sticks) and rods, asked the trio to show their ID cards. Sunil Kumar was then asked to leave the spot and the mob started assaulting Sanober and Suleman.
COURT ASKS POLICE TO FILE ATR ON PLEA AGAINST KAPIL MISHRA
A Delhi court has directed the police to file an Action Taken Report (ATR) on a complaint filed by social activist Harsh Mander to lodge an FIR against Bharatiya Janata Party leader Kapil Mishra for allegedly provoking people to target Muslims in February last year. The riots in northeast Delhi left 53 dead, mostly Muslims, and several hundred injured. The court was hearing the matter on the direction of the Delhi high court, which was approached by Mander last year. “Since the matter has already once gone to the High Court of Delhi, this court deems it appropriate to call the report from DCP concerned. Let action taken report be called from DCP concerned for March 9 on the complaint given,” metropolitan magistrate Himanshu Raman Singh said in an order passed on January 29. In his complaint, Mander had sought registration of an FIR against Mishra for encouraging violence against Anti-CAA-NRC-NPR protestors, and engaging in criminal activities.
GUJARAT VIOLENCE WAS ‘STATE-SPONSORED’
Minority Coordination Committee (MCC)-Gujarat’s fact-finding report on the communal violence in two villages of the state’s Kutch district bordering Pakistan, has alleged that the violence was “state-sponsored”, with “the police and administration” being “hand in glove with the anti-social elements and part of a larger conspiracy” to create “fear among the Muslims and force them into ghettoization”. The report prepared by a four-member team comprising MCC convener Mujahid Nafees, social activists Usman Ghani Sherasia, Ibrahim Turk and Mohammad Lakha says that despite all this, the violence did not take a serious turn due to “the restraint and understanding” shown by the local villagers. But the report observes that the incidents in two villages have “increased the disharmony between Hindus and Muslims”. It added that “Police was present but as a spectator only during the entire episode”.
FRESH APPOINTMENTS TO SC STALLED
Time is running out for the chief justice of the Tripura high court, Akil Abdulhamid Kureshi, as well as for the aspiring chief justices of several high courts, who are already in line for elevation to the Supreme Court. During his tenure as a Gujarat high court judge, Justice Kureshi had in 2010 sent Amit Shah to police custody in the Sohrabuddin fake encounter case. Chief Justice Kureshi, appointed to his present position on November 16, 2019, is retiring on March 6, 2022, whereas the chief justices of Allahabad (Justice Govind Mathur), Calcutta (Thottathil B.Radhakrishnan), Chhattisgarh (P.R. Ramachandra Menon), Himachal Pradesh (Lingappa Narayana Swamy), Manipur (Ramalingam Sudhakar), Telangana (Kumari Hima Kohli) and Uttarakhand (Raghvendra Singh Chauhan) high courts are retiring this year. Disagreement within the five-member collegium of the apex court over elevating Chief Justice Kureshi before others has apparently stalled the process of appointing new judges.
TWITTER CONCERNED FOR STAFF IN INDIA
Twitter has expressed concern for the safety of its employees in India after the company’s refusal to comply with a demand from the Indian government to remove more than 1,000 accounts connected to the farmer protests in the country. In a statement, Twitter said it had reached out to the Indian government for a “formal dialogue” after the ministry of information and technology requested the removal of 1,178 listed Twitter handles. The accounts under government scrutiny have been sharing material connected to the farmers’ protests, which began in November. Hundreds of thousands of farmers have since camped out at protest sites around Delhi and participated in huge marches and strikes to demand the repeal of new farm laws.
HISTORY-SHEETER LINKED TO BJP ARRESTED IN ANDHRA PRADESH
A history-sheeter who has more than 30 cases including murder, extortion, assault, and kidnapping pending against him, has been nabbed by a special unit of Chennai Police in Andhra Pradesh, a report said on February 5. The gangster, Kalvettu Ravi, was inducted into the Tamil Nadu BJP last year which drew huge criticism on social media. Kalvettu Ravi aka Ravishankar (31), a resident of VOC Nagar in Chennai, was a petty offender as a juvenile. He was first noticed as a goon in the murder case recorded in 2003. The police said he was involved in some high-profile murder cases including that of DMK functionary Shanmugam.
COURT ISSUES NOTICE OVER PLEA TO REMOVE MOSQUE IN MATHURA
A Mathura court on February 6 issued notices to the Shahi Idgah Masjid management committee and others, seeking their stands on a fresh plea for the removal of the 17th-century mosque from near the ‘birthplace of Lord Krishna’ in the Katra Keshav Dev temple complex. Additional District and Sessions Judge Dev Kant Shukla issued notices after admitting the plea, ruling that the suit is maintainable and hence admissible for detailed hearing, District Government Counsel (Civil) Sanjai Gaur said. After admitting the civil suit, the court also issued notices to three other respondents.