Delhi Riots- Court Calls For Comprehensive Report On Steps Taken To Ensure Timely Production Of Accused From Different Jails, Warns Of Contempt Proceedings

Considering the fact that the Director General of Prisons had failed to ensure timely production of accused persons from different jails in a riots case despite repeated directions from last two months, a Delhi Court on Monday called for a comprehensive report on the steps taken to ensure such production.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Arun Kumar Garg warned that appropriate action will be taken against DG Prisons, Delhi as well as Principal Secretary (Home) of the Delhi Government if the report is not furnished with a period of seven days.

"The said explanation/report be furnished by DG(Prisons) Delhi as well as Principal Secretary(Home) Govt. of NCT of Delhi positively within a period of seven days from today failing which, the court shall be constrained to take approrpirate action as per law against both of them, including but not limited to making of a reference to Hon'ble High Court of Delhi for initiation of contempt proceedings against them," the Court said.

The development came in FIR 121/2020 registered at Bhajanpura Police Station under sec. 147, 148, 149, 457, 435, 436, 454 and 380 of IPC. The said FIR was registered on March 2 last year on the complaint of one Mohd. Aslam alleging that his shop was vandalized, looted and put on fire by a riotous mob during the riots. 

The Court had earlier sought an explanation from DG(Prisons) Tihar regarding the issue of production of various accused persons in the matter. However, the Court noted that the same was not furnished through Principal Secretary(Home) of Delhi Government as per the order.

"Even otherwise, the aforesaid explanation is far from satisfactory considering the fact that DG(Prisons)Delhi has failed to ensure timely production of the accused persons from different jails in Delhi before this Court despite repeated directions since last more than two months," the Court added.

Accordingly, the Court called for further explanation be from DG (Prisons) as to why the reply in terms of previous order was not furnished by him through Principal Secretary (Home) Govt. of NCT of Delhi.

Title: STATE VS. AMIT GOSWAMI AND ORS