Pracha said that he was representing around 70 cases of riot victims and more are approaching him. “This is what troubles the people in the department and government”, he added
Mohd Aasif | Clarion India
NEW DELHI – A Delhi Court has asked the police commissioner to investigate allegations of the Delhi police that advocate Mehmood Pracha had instigated Irshad Ali, a riot victim, to depose falsely in a case related to the February Northeast Delhi riots in which 53 people were killed and some 400 others injured.
Pracha, also an activist, however, later flatly denied the police accusations.
Vinod Yadav, Additional Sessions Judge, in his order on Saturday said it would be appropriate if the matter was investigated by the Crime Branch or Special Cell, and requested the police chief to look into it.
“Since preliminary inquiry has been conducted on the directions of DCP (Northeast), and it has been conducted by ACP (Gokulpuri) and SHO (Dayalpur), it will be appropriate if the matter is investigated by an independent agency like Crime Branch or Special Cell”, the order stated.
The order came after the police in its report during the hearing informed the court that Ali had been ‘tutored’ by Pracha.
The police told the court in their report that Ali had falsely named three persons – Navneet, Deepak and Mintu- on Pracha’s advice, adding that Ali was contacted by Pracha to identify an eyewitness named Sharif who was a witness in another case.
Ali, according to the police report, alleged that Pracha told him that Sharif’s statement in his case would make his case stronger for which he would have to depose that Sharif had seen his shop burning. But Ali said that he did not know Sharif or had seen Sharif ever so there was no question of claiming that he had seen Sharif while rioters were burning his shop on February 24.
Pracha, however, told Clarion India that the Delhi police were targeting him as he was handling the maximum number of cases of riot victims.
Pracha said that he was representing around 70 cases of riot victims and more are approaching him. “This is what troubles the people in the department and government”, he added.
According to him, the police are implicating him because police inaction and participation has been alleged by his clients. “Any investigation done by the DCP of the North East who was seen with a controversial BJP leader has to be taken with a pinch of salt. They did not take action against the BJP leader but are trying to implicate me. First, the police attacked journalists and now they are attacking lawyers for speaking the truth.”
Commenting further on the police allegations, Pracha said that the so-called forgery is nothing but a twisted legal technicality and the motive of the affidavit filed in the court was to show that there is an eye-witness.
“I am giving the hope to the people that the Constitution of India will save them despite all the faults which are being alleged in our judicial system. It still is so strong that it can get you justice”, he added.
Pracha said that there was a threat to his life. “The Constitution is more important to us and we are also trying to protect the honour and credibility of our judicial system”, he said.