One Year Since The N-E Delhi Riots - Of Courts' Bugbears, Most Common 'Doubtful' Police, Public Witness Statements

In at least 34 cases, inordinate delays between witnessing and reporting crime

- Arnabjit Sur

NEW DELHI: From 10 days to at least a month — the vast gaps between police personnel claiming to witness crimes during the north-east Delhi riots last year and the time they recorded this officially, has prompted courts in the city to seriously doubt the credibility of these statements as evidence in cases related to the riots, according to an analysis of 100 bail applications granted over the last one year.

Over 3,500 bail applications have been allowed since the investigation of the riots began.

Millennium Post's analysis showed that in the 100 bail orders, the most common bugbear courts have had with the Delhi Police's investigation into the riots pertains to the untrustworthiness of statements by police witnesses and complainants along with others cited as public witnesses in these cases.

Many a time, a public witness would not be able to identify an accused in one particular case, but a few weeks later would identify the accused, implicating them in a separate case. In most cases, police statements were found to be recorded under Section 161 of the CrPC, making them inadmissible as evidence.