7 days ago
Court Raps Delhi Police For 'Lackadaisical' Probe Into Kapil Mishra's 2020 'Communal' Remarks
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The court noted that police had made no serious effort to gather Mishra's social media evidence despite repeated orders since March last year
A Delhi court on Monday criticised the city police for its 'lackadaisical approach" in investigating a case against BJP leader and Delhi Development Minister Kapil Mishra over alleged inflammatory statements made ahead of the 2020 Delhi Assembly elections.
Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) Vaibhav Chaurasia, of the Rouse Avenue Courts, noted that despite repeated court orders since March last year, there had been no serious attempt by the police to collect evidence related to Mishra's social media activity — especially his X (formerly Twitter) posts.
'No one is present on behalf of the investigating agency to follow up the directions of further investigation and before any stringent remarks could be made upon the casual attitude of the investigating agency qua the directions of this Court, this Court is constrained to bring it to the notice of Worthy Commissioner of Police, Delhi Police, with respect to the state of affairs and non-adequate explanation on the part of the Investigating Agency," said ACJM Chaurasia while delivering the ruling on Monday, Live Law reported.
'Without fail, the diligent endeavour was made by this Court vide order-sheets dated 20.03.2024, 20.04.2024, 10.05.2024, 15.05.2024, 01.06.2024, 01.07.2024, 11.07.2024, 22.07.2024, 20.03.2025, 08.04.2025 for the collection of evidence qua Twitter handle of the accused, but in vain," the judge added.
The FIR against Mishra was filed under Section 125 of the Representation of the People Act (RPA), which relates to promoting enmity between classes during an election. It stemmed from his 2020 remarks broadcast in the media, including phrases such as 'mini Pakistans in Delhi" and 'Pakistan has entered Shaheen Bagh". Mishra also posted on social media that the 2020 Delhi election would be an 'India vs Pakistan" battle on the city's streets.
The judge said the matter had been pending since March last year and took serious note of the investigating agency's failure to act on the court's instructions. The court has now directed that a copy of the order be sent to the Commissioner and Joint Commissioner of Delhi Police to take appropriate action.
'If the police are unable to investigate the matter or face any obstacles, this must be reported to the Court," ACJM Chaurasia stated.
The matter is now scheduled to be heard again on 7 July.
First Published:
May 27, 2025, 14:36 IST
