NEW DELHI: A lawyer appointed by the Delhi High Court to assist it 2 1984 riot case has indicted the Delhi police for showing lack of interest in the investigation.
A Division Bench comprising Justice A.B. Saharya and Justice A.S. Siddiqui had recently appointed H.S. Phoolka as “amicus curiae” to find Out whether delay in filing the appeal against a 1988 order of lower court in riot case should be condoned or not.
In this case Rajender Singh was accused of rioting and burning down houses of Sikhs and the Magistrate had acquitted him within a month of framing of charges saying the prosecution could not produce evidence against him.
Phoolka, who had represented many riot victims in the Ranganath Mishra Commission and the Jain Aggarwal Committee, said the delay ‘should be condoned as the police wrongly told the Magistrate that the two Key witnesses were not traceable.
He mentioned in his report that the police failed to register a murder case ‘against Rajendec Singh who was accused by the two witnesses of murdering their husbands.
The report further indicted the Magistrate for showing unnecessary haste in acquitting the person when the prosecution was seeking more time to produce the two witnesses who were not traced.
Article extracted from this publication >> September 22, 1995
