Farmers Movement Archive

Centre: LG appointed SPP in national interest

New Delhi: The Centre has told Delhi High Court that the lieutenant governor appointed special public prosecutors (SPP) for last year’s Republic Day violence and 2020 riots cases in the interest of efficient, fair and just trial as the two sets of cases are of “grave national concern”. In a response to the petition by the Delhi government, challenging the appointment of Delhi Police’s chosen lawyers as SPPs by the LG, the Centre said since both the cases arose directly from laws of the Parliament i.e. the citizenship amendment and farm laws, the LG, being a delegate of the President, had the “responsibility to have a more active role in those matters.” Both the cases are of “highly sensitive nature” and relate to “public order”, which is excluded from the purview of the Delhi government, it added. “The unfortunate incidents of violence did lead to disturbance of public order and a loss of life and property (in northeast Delhi riots case) and the then continuing farmers’ agitation and unfortunate incident of violence have prompted a need for efficient, fair and just prosecution (of cases) to retain the faith in the country’s law and order machinery,” said the affidavit filed by the special secretary to LG. “The ‘public order’ expressly involves cognizance of offences, search, seizure and arrest, followed by registration of FIRs, investigation, prosecution and trial. The wide amplitude provided to the meaning of this term includes the appointment of special prosecutors for an efficient and just prosecution of the cases so registered,” it added. In its petition, Delhi government said that the LG order appointing Delhi Police’s chosen lawyers as SPPs, results in a serious conflict of interest.

The Times of India

2022-01-29

Delhi