Delhi riots were a pre-planned conspiracy, says high court

The Delhi High Court on Monday refused to grant bail to an accused in a Delhi riots case, saying that there was “pre-planned and pre-meditated conspiracy to disturb law and order in the city”. The court observed that the events in February 2020 “did not take place in a spur of the moment”.

While hearing the bail application moved by one Mohd Ibrahim in the case concerning the alleged murder of Delhi Police head constable Ratan Lal, the court observed that there was a systematic disconnection and destruction of the CCTV cameras in areas near the place of the incident.

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“Innumerable rioters ruthlessly descended with sticks, dandas, bats, etc. upon a hopelessly outnumbered cohort of police officials,” the court observed.

“The systematic disconnection and destruction of the CCTV cameras also confirm the existence of a preplanned and pre-meditated conspiracy to disturb law and order in the city,” it added.

The judge while acknowledging the importance of personal liberty in a democratic polity, clarified that “individual liberty cannot be misused in a manner that threatens the very fabric of civilized society by attempting to destabilise it and cause hurt to other persons”.