Delhi High Court Sets up 4 Special Courts for Trials in Delhi Riot Cases

The Delhi High Court has designated four special courts for holding trials in the cases relating to the violence and clashes that broke out in the north east district of the national capital in February this year.

The high court has created two magistrate courts and two sessions courts for holding trials in connection with the Delhi riots.

"The Courts of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) North-East in Karkardooma Court and Metropolitan Magistrate (MM)- 4 of the Shahdara locale in Karkardooma court are assigned as the courts for preliminary of late common savagery cases enlisted in North-East and Shahdara Districts individually," the high court said in its June 15 request marked by Registrar General Manoj Jain. 

While Purshotta Pathak, who is right now filling in as the Chief Metropolitian Magistrate (CMM) New Delhi has now been made CMM north east and has been moved from the Patiala House Court to the Karkardooma Court, Fahad Uddin, who is filling in as MM-1, focal region has been made MM-4 Shahdara locale and has been moved from the Tis Hazari Court to the Karkardooma court.

Pathak has been swapped with Pawan Singh Rajawat while Fahad Uddin has swapped with Gita. District and Sessions Judge (DSJ), north east at the Karkardooma Court has been asked to withdraw the cases of the police station Karawal Nagar (except riot cases and cases under Section 138 NI Act) and police station Gokul Puri (except riot cases and cases under Section 138 NI Act) from the court of CMM, north east, KKD and assigned the same to the courts of Vinod Kumar Gautam, ACMM, north east, KKD and Rakesh Kumar Rampuri, MM-3, north east, KKD, respectively.

On the other hand, DSJ Shahdra at the Karkardooma Court shall withdraw the cases of police station Jyoti Nagar (except riot



cases and cases under Section 138 NI Act) and police station Welcome (except riot cases and cases under Section 138 NI Act) from the Court of MM-4, Shahdara, KKD (hitherto presided over by Gita) and assign the same to the Courts of Mona Tardi Kerketta, CMM, Shahdara, KKD and Ravindra Kumar Pandey, MM-3, Shahdara, KKD, respectively.

The high court ruled, "The Courts of (Additional Sessions Judge) ASJ-3, north east, Karkardooma (KKD) and ASJ-3, Shahdara, KKD are designated as courts for trial of recent communal violence/riot cases registered in Delhi in north east and Shahdara districts respectively."

The High Court directed that the DSJ, north east District shall allocate all the sessions' triable riot cases to the Court of ASJ-3 in the district and a similar direction was given to the DSJ, Shahdara.

In its order, the Delhi High Court also announced the transfer of various judges including Vinod Yadav who has been made the new ASJ-3, north east, Karkardooma and Presiding Officer (PO) Amitabh Rawat who was earlier posted as ADJ-4 south east at the Saket Court has now been made ASJ-3, Shahdara at the Karkardooma Court.

The court has also transferred PO Smita Garg who was earlier serving as ADJ-2 Shahdara at the Karkardooma Court to the Rohini Court as ASJ-3, north district while Manjusha Wadhwa would replace Garg as ADJ-2, Shahdara district.

Violence had broken out in parts of Delhi in February after clashes between pro and anti-Citizenship Amendment Act agitators spiralled out of control, leaving 53 dead.

Over 700 FIRs were lodged and the SIT probing the matter has arrested or detained more than 2,500 people, including the suspended AAP councillor Tahir Hussain, in connection with the cases pertaining to the Delhi violence.