NEW DELHI: From politicians to lawyers to activists, the names of several prominent personalities have appeared on the charge sheet produced by the Delhi Police in the case of the Delhi riots. This includes the name of the leader of Congress. Salman khurshid and advocate for Prashant Bhushan.
Their names have appeared in the disclosure statement of former congressional councilor Ishrat Jahan and one of the defendants, Khalid Saifi. Such statements are inadmissible under Section 25 of the Indian Evidence Act.
In his disclosure statement, Ishrat Jahan said that various personalities such as former Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid, defender Prashant Bhushan, activist Harsh Mander and activist-turned-politician Yogendra Yadav participated in the protests.
Khalid Saifi and other witnesses also made a similar statement. On September 16, the police filed a voluminous statement of charges against the defendants under various sections of the UAPA, the Indian Penal Code, the Gun Law and the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Law. The copy of the charge sheet was given to his lawyers on Monday.
The charge sheet was filed just under 200 days after the filing of an FIR to investigate the angle of conspiracy behind the riots that rocked northeast Delhi in February this year.
Clashes between supporters of the citizenship law and protesters had spiraled out of control, leaving at least 53 people dead and around 200 injured.
The charge sheet names Tahir Hussain, Safoora Zargar, Gulfisha Khatoon, Devangana Kalita, Shafa-ur-Rehman, Asif Iqbal Tanha, Natasha Narwal, Abdul Khalid Saifi, Ishrat Jahan, Meeran Haidar, Shadab Ahamd, Talsim Ahmad, Saleem Malik, Mohammed Salim Khan and Athar Khan.
Tahir Hussain has been named as the lead defendant on the charge sheet. The charge sheet, however, does not name Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, Mohammed Pervez Ahmad, Mohammed Ilyas, Danish, and Faizal Khan.
Their names will be added on the supplemental charge sheet.
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