Judicial Reshuffle Delays Trial Further, Riots Conspiracy Case to Start Afresh

The trial in the 2020 Northeast Delhi riots conspiracy case is set to be delayed yet again after a recent reshuffle of trial court judges, with proceedings now restarting under a new judge.

- Arnabjit Sur

NEW DELHI:

On Monday, a city court directed defence lawyers of 18 accused persons to submit a consolidated timeline for completing their arguments on charge—a stage that was nearing conclusion but must now begin afresh.

The direction came from additional sessions judge (ASJ) Lalit Kumar, who heard the matter for the first time after replacing ASJ Sameer Bajpai. ASJ Kumar has now sought a tentative schedule from defence lawyers for wrapping up arguments, despite the fact that five of the accused had concluded their submissions.

This follows an administrative order issued by the Delhi High Court last week, resulting in a reshuffle of several trial court judges. ASJ Bajpai, who had presided over the case since December 2023, was himself a replacement for ASJ Amitabh Rawat.