A Delhi court dismissed a plea for filing an FIR against Delhi Law and Justice Minister Kapil Mishra regarding the 2020 North-East Delhi riots. The court rejected the application by a resident seeking directions to the police to register an FIR against Mishra and others over incidents in Kardam Puri on February 23, 2020. The complainant alleged Mishra’s involvement in the riots and also named other individuals for fueling the violence.
The plea sought directions under Section 156(3) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, empowering a magistrate to order the registration of an FIR in cognizable offenses. However, the court found that directing the registration of an FIR at this stage was not justified based on the material presented. Earlier, a magistrate court had instructed the Delhi Police to conduct further investigation into Mishra’s alleged role in the Northeast Delhi riots, which resulted in casualties.
The direction for further investigation was later overturned by a Special Court, which criticized the magistrate for exceeding the scope of the law and making observations on issues already under trial. The Special Court highlighted that the complaint did not clearly indicate a cognizable offense and that the order was based on inferences drawn from Mishra’s questioning in a larger conspiracy case related to the riots.
