Court Alerts: Delhi Police Under Fire Over Fake Video Allegations in Riot Case

A Delhi court criticized an investigating officer for employing a manipulated video to implicate an accused in a 2020 riots case. The court highlighted unprofessional conduct, including the clubbing of complaints without thorough investigation, and urged the police commissioner to evaluate and address the officer's conduct.

A Delhi court has rebuked an investigating officer for allegedly using a 'manipulated video' to wrongfully implicate an accused in a February 2020 riots case. The court called upon the police commissioner to take action on the matter.

Additional sessions judge Pulastya Pramachala criticized the officer for 'unprofessional conduct' by amalgamating six complaints without proper investigation. The court's directive, dated January 8, pointed to deficiencies in the officer's handling of evidence.

The judge noted that the officer failed to pursue the actual culprits and controversially framed Sandeep Bhati on the basis of a video clip received via WhatsApp. Bhati stood accused of several offences, but investigation shortcomings led the court to challenge the credibility of the charges against him.

(With inputs from agencies.)