Synopsis: The Court heard a petition filed by the defendant, arguing that his purported statement of disclosure had been leaked by the police.
The Delhi High Court ordered Zee News to reveal the source from which it obtained the supposed confessional declaration of an accused in Delhi riot.
A petition filed by the appellant, Asif Tanha, was heard by the single judge bench of Justice Vibhu Bakhru.
Tanha has alleged that his alleged disclosed statement, which was registered during the investigation, was leaked to the media by police officers.
Tanha has raised objections to news reports claiming that he has admitted to orchestrating the Delhi riots, while arguing that the assertion had no evidentiary value. He further argued that he had been compelled to sign forms in police custody.
In response to the allegations, Delhi Police said no details of the investigation had been leaked out by any of the police staff. It was further reported that Delhi Police was also aggrieved by the petitioner’s supposed confessional statement being made public because the investigation was also been hindered by that.
The Court was also told that an investigation into the problem of vigilance had been instituted.
Advocate Vijay Aggarwal, while appearing for ZeeNews, said that the data was available in the public domain as per the instructions.
However, the Court ordered Zee Media to file an affidavit and reveal its source.
In the case involving the alleged plot that led to the disturbances in the protests, Tanha was identified as an accused that led to the riots in the capital’s North-East area in February 2020.
Advocates Siddharth Aggarwal, Sowjhanya Shankaran had appeared earlier, in a petition moved by co-accused Devangana Kalita, before the beginning of the trial against her, the Court had barred Delhi Police from issuing statements and communications identifying her in relation to the case.
The Court noted then that the cases of the Delhi riots were undoubtedly sensitive.
The matter will be heard next on the 19th of October.