The Delhi High Court on Tuesday questioned the Delhi Police that how long the accused can be kept in jail in the terrorist case related to the riots of February 2020, as five years of the case have passed and the debate on the allegations has not been completed yet.
A bench of Justice Subramanian Prasad and Justice Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar questioned the Delhi Police during the hearing on the bail plea of Taslim Ahmed, accused in a case related to the alleged major conspiracy in the riots. Ahmed has been booked under illegal activities (prevention) Act (UAPA).
The bench asked the prosecution, “Five years have passed. Even the debate on the allegations has not been completed. In such cases, how long can a person be kept in jail, with 700 witnesses?”
The court raised this question when the accused’s lawyer Mahmood Pracha raised the issue of delay in the proceedings of the case.
Pracha said that he would not argue on the merits of the case, but demands relief on equality in relation to delay in the case.
He gave the example of co-accused Dewangana Kalita, Asif Iqbal Tanha and Natasha Narwal, who was granted bail in 2021 on the basis of delay.
Pracha argued, “He (Ahmed) was arrested on 24 June 2020 … I have already spent five years (in jail).” He claimed that his client never delayed the proceedings of the case.
Special Public Prosecutor Amit Prasad, while opposing the plea, claimed that the prosecution could not be convicted for the delay in the trial, as there have been many occasions when the case was postponed at the request of the accused.
Pracha confined his argument to the delay in the trial. The hearing will continue on July 9.
In February 2020, at least 53 people were killed and around 700 people were injured in the violence in North-East Delhi.
