2020 Delhi riots: Court accepts Kapil Mishra's plea, says no need for further probe against him

Kapil Mishra

The Rouse Avenue Court has accepted BJP minister Kapil Mishra's plea in the 2020 Delhi riots case. The court also ordered that no further probe be conducted against Mishra in the matter.

News agency ANI reported that the Rouse Avenue Court allowed the revision petitions moved by Mishra.

"The order of Magistrate is set aside, directing Delhi Police to investigate the role of Kapil Mishra in the alleged larger conspiracy behind the 2020 north-east Delhi riots," ANI reported.

"A Magistrate court had directed Delhi police to further investigate the role of Kapil Mishra in connection with the matter. Mishra had challenged the order. Delhi Police had also challenged the order of the trial court before the Sessions Court. The Sessions Court has directed the Magistrate court to conduct hearings as per law," the news agency further said.

Special Judge Dig Vinay Singh of the Rouse Avenue Court on Friday heard BJP leader Kapil Mishra’s revision plea challenging an earlier order that had sought further investigation into his alleged role in the 2020 northeast Delhi riots. The violence, which erupted between February 24 and 26 that year, claimed 53 lives and left over 500 people injured.

The previous order, issued on April 1 by Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Vaibhav Chaurasia, had come in response to a petition by Mohammad Ilyas. The complainant had requested registration of an FIR against Mishra, the then Station House Officer of Dayalpur police station, and five others — including BJP leaders Mohan Singh Bisht and Jagdish Pradhan.

Following the April 1 order, Mishra approached the Sessions Court, which stayed the directive within a week.

During Friday’s hearing, the Delhi Police Special Cell, represented by Special Public Prosecutor Amit Prasad, argued that the magistrate’s court had no jurisdiction to demand further investigation. Prasad said that Mishra’s alleged role in the riots had already been examined and that the probe found no evidence linking him to the planning or instigation of the violence.