Delhi High Court rejects pleas for independent probe into 2020 riots, 2019 Jamia violence

A bench comprising Justices Vivek Chaudhary and Manoj Jain rejected the batch of petitions on Monday without providing detailed reasoning at the time of the verdict announcement. The court stated it had divided the cases into two categories—one relating to the northeast Delhi riots and another concerning the Jamia Millia violence—before dismissing all pleas.

The petitioners had sought multiple forms of relief, including directions to establish a special investigation team (SIT), constitute a commission of inquiry, or set up a fact-finding committee to examine the incidents. Additional demands included provision of medical treatment for injured parties, grant of compensation, and registration of cases against police officers alleged to have exceeded their authority during the disturbances.

Some of the petitions had also requested action against political leaders in connection with the incidents. The court had reserved judgment on the batch of petitions on July 24 following hearings on the matter.

A detailed written judgment is expected to be issued subsequently, which will provide the court's reasoning for dismissing the pleas. The rejection marks the conclusion of legal efforts to secure an independent investigation into the two incidents, which had drawn significant public and activist attention.