R-Day violence: Court adjourns charge sheet cognisance to June 17, prosecution sanction awaited

New Delhi, May 28

A Delhi court on Friday deferred till June 17 its order on the cognisance of the charge sheet filed against actor-activist Deep Sidhu and 15 others in connection with the Republic Day violence case, saying that the prosecution sanction is awaited.

Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Gajender Singh Nagar said sanction under the Epidemic Diseases Act, the Disaster Management Act and Arms Act is still awaited from the concerned authorities.

The judge, who directed the police to expedite the process, also refused to provide the copy of the charge sheet to the counsel of the accused. However, they have been allowed to inspect the final report on visiting the court.

The prosecutor informed the court that the process for getting sanction has been initiated by them.

“We will file the supplementary charge sheet soon,” he added.

On January 26, protesting farmers clashed with the police personnel during a tractor rally against three agricultural laws and stormed into the Red Fort, injuring scores of policemen.

The Delhi Police had filed a 3,224 pages-long charge sheet on May 17, nearly four months after the violence.

Fourteen out 16 accused including Sidhu, Jabarjang Singh, Iqbal Singh, Mohinder Singh Khalsa are out on bail while other two namely Maninder Singh and Khempreet Singh are still in judicial custody.

Sidhu, who was accused of being the key conspirator of the violence, was arrested on February 9. The police had also accused him of fuelling the chaos at the Red fort.

The Delhi Police had told the court that they have electronic evidence to show that Sidhu entered the Red Fort with supporters carrying lathis and flags and provoked the violence.

He is facing charges of rioting, attempt to murder, criminal conspiracy, dacoity, culpable homicide among various other sections of the Indian Penal Code. He was in jail for over two months and released on bail on April 17.

Besides Sidhu, the police have also mentioned the name of Iqbal Singh, who was doing a Facebook Live session in which he allegedly instigated the protesters. PTI