Delhi High Court Clears Delhi Riots Conspiracy Case for Final Order

The Delhi High Court has removed the stay, allowing the trial court to issue a final order on charges in the 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case. The court dismissed Devangana Kalita's petition for video and WhatsApp evidence. It confirmed all prosecution evidence is already on record.

The Delhi High Court on Friday vacated a previously imposed stay, enabling the trial court to proceed with the final order on charges in the significant 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case. This ruling comes as a setback for Devangana Kalita, who had filed a petition seeking the supply of video recordings and WhatsApp chats used as evidence by the Delhi Police.

Justice Neena Bansal Krishna dismissed the plea presented by Kalita, who is facing charges in the broader conspiracy regarding the riots. The court clarified that all pertinent evidence used by the prosecution had been submitted with the charge sheets, complying with Section 207 of the Criminal Procedure Code. The evidence, including WhatsApp group messages, was already accessible to all accused, the court emphasized.

The bench pointed out that the Special Judge had comprehensively detailed the evidence supply directives. In her ruling, Justice Krishna stated that Kalita's petition failed to merit interference, and the requested documents were not relied upon against her in the charge sheet. The court's order from August 5, 2023, stands unchanged, with the trial court set to hear further arguments on charge framing.