N-E Delhi violence: Police opposes in HC Brinta Karat's plea to make FIRs public

The police, in a status report filed recently in the court, said putting these FIRs in the public domain would disclose the names of complainants, witnesses and the accused. "A conscious decision has been taken to declare the FIRs connected to riot as sensitive.

The Delhi Police has opposed in the High Court a plea by CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat seeking to upload on its website the FIRs lodged in connection with northeast Delhi riots in February, saying the cases are "sensitive'. The police, in a status report filed recently in the court, said putting these FIRs in the public domain would disclose the names of complainants, witnesses and the accused.

"A conscious decision has been taken to declare the FIRs connected to riot as sensitive. This has been done primarily to preserve communal harmony as putting these FIRs in the public domain would disclose the names of complainants, witnesses and accused persons. However, this is in no way to prejudice the rights of the accused persons," the report filed through advocates Amit Mahajan and Rajat Nair said. The report was filed in pursuance to the court's May 12 direction on Karat's petition seeking to make public the list of people arrested in connection with the violence.

The petition has also sought that a list of the arrested people be put up outside the police control room and police stations in the district and should be updated on a case-by-case basis. To this, the police said the petitioner is neither an accused nor a complainant or witness in any of the 751 cases registered in connection with the riots and disclosing the names of the persons arrested or detained during the period of investigation would prejudice the rights of the accused.

"The petitioner has no locus standi locus standi in the criminal matter. Hence, a list of persons detained or arrested by Delhi Police... is being provided in a sealed cover for the perusal of the court," the report said. The petition has also urged the court to direct that "all complaints alleging acts, offences and atrocities by members of the police, Rapid Action Force or state functionaries in relation to the widespread attacks in northeast Delhi be investigated by an independent investigating agency/team".

In February, clashes broke out in northeast Delhi between the groups supporting and opposing the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019..