'Lackadaisical approach of Crime Branch, absence of SPP causing delay in head constable Ratan Lal's murder case'

New Delhi: A local court has now observed that the "lackadaisical approach" of the Delhi Police Crime Branch and the absence of the Special Public Prosecutor were causing inordinate delays in processing the case related to the murder of Head Constable Ratan Lal during the north-east Delhi riots last year.

The court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Arun Kumar Garg was dealing with the case related to Lal's murder and the grievous injuries caused to the erstwhile North-East DCP, when it noted that the case had been pending for at least 18 months now and that it was unable to commit the case to the concerned Sessions court because of these delays.

The court, in its December 20 order, said that the police were yet to submit acknowledgement regarding deficient copies that had been served to one of the accused, Athar Khan, as per the order of November 1 this year. CMM Garg went on to put on record that neither the investigating officer of the case nor the Special Public Prosecutor assigned to the case was present in court for the hearing.

The court directed the investigating officer to serve the required documents upon the co-accused Athar Khan and called for an explanation as to why it should not initiate legal action cops for failing to implement its orders.

The court said, "In the interest of justice, no adverse orders are being passed for today against the State, however, an explanation be called from the IO as well as DCP (Crime Branch) under the signatures of Special Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) as to why appropriate action as per law be not taken against them for non compliance of directions of this court."

It added, "In the meantime, Special Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) is directed to ensure supply of all the deficient copies to accused Shadab Ahmad and Athar Khan against proper acknowledgment in terms of prayers made in their respective applications."

In the chargesheet, the Delhi Police had said that a group of violent protesters had attacked a police party with the north-east DCP, HC Ratan Lal and other police officials on February 24, in which three cops, including DCP Amit Sharma, Lal and another officer were brutally attacked with stones and sticks.

The post-mortem report for Lal said that he had multiple abrasions, as many as 24 lacerations across his body and that he died from a projectile from a rifled firearm.