2020 Delhi riots: Further investigation against BJP leader Kapil Mishra stayed
The Delhi Police Special Cell argued that the magistrate court that ordered further investigation against Kapil Mishra in the 2020 Delhi riots case lacked the jurisdiction to do so.
Yamuna Vihar resident Ilyas had alleged in his complaint that he saw Kapil Mishra and others blocking a road in Northeast Delhi’s Kardam puri. (File photo)
A sessions judge in Rouse Avenue Court Wednesday stayed a magistrate court order directing further investigation against Delhi Law and Justice Minister and BJP leader Kapil Mishra over his alleged involvement in the 2020 Northeast Delhi riots.
The Delhi Police Special Cell had argued before the court that the magistrate court that ordered further investigation (and orally stated that this meant an FIR) against Mishra over his alleged role in the 2020 riots in the northeastern part of the city lacked the jurisdiction to do so.
“Kindly have the impugned order. Even this honourable court could not have passed this order. Let alone the ACJM (Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate) Court,” said Special Public Prosecutor Amit Prasad, appearing before Special Judge Kaveri Baweja.
“Mr Mehmood Pracha (advocate of the complainant who had sought an FIR against Mishra before the magistrate court) was part of the propaganda team (during the Delhi Riots),” Prasad argued.
“The complainant had indulged in bombarding of complaints. We were asked to file our status report regarding the give incidents in the complaint,” he added.
While passing his order directing further investigation into Mishra’s alleged role during the riots, ACJM Vaibhav Chaurasia of Rouse Avenue Court stated that action was called for only in one of the five incidents mentioned in the complaint lodged by Mohammed Ilyas.
Yamuna Vihar resident Ilyas had alleged in his complaint that he saw Mishra and others blocking a road in Northeast Delhi’s Kardam puri and destroying vendors’ carts. He had also claimed that the then deputy commissioner of police (DCP), Northeast Delhi, was standing next to Mishra along with other police personnel and warning the protestors to vacate the area or face consequences.
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“All I want to see is whether this allegation against Mishra mentioned in the complaint has been investigated by you or not,” said Special Judge Baweja.
“His role has been investigated, and he had no role in the orchestration of the riots,” replied Prasad.
“Incident number 1 doesn’t disclose any offence at all. The person who is the aggrieved must have lodged the complaint. No person in that area called the police during the day and time (mentioned in the complaint) regarding the destruction of vehicles,” the SPP submitted.
In 2020, communal violence rocked Northeast Delhi between February 24 and 26, leaving 53 people dead, over 500 injured, and property worth crores of rupees damaged.
Nirbhay Thakur is a Senior Correspondent with The Indian Express who primarily covers district courts in Delhi and has reported on the trials of many high-profile cases since 2023.
Professional Background
Education: Nirbhay is an economics graduate from Delhi University.
Beats: His reporting spans the trial courts, and he occasionally interviews ambassadors and has a keen interest in doing data stories.
Specializations: He has a specific interest in data stories related to courts.
Core Strength: Nirbhay is known for tracking long-running legal sagas and providing meticulous updates on high-profile criminal trials.
Recent notable articles
In 2025, he has written long form articles and two investigations. Along with breaking many court stories, he has also done various exclusive stories.
1) A long form on Surender Koli, accused in the Nithari serial killings of 2006. He was acquitted after spending 2 decades in jail. was a branded man. Deemed the “cannibal" who allegedly lured children to his employer’s house in Noida, murdered them, and “ate their flesh” – his actions cited were cited as evidence of human depravity at its worst. However, the SC acquitted him finding various lapses in the investigation. The Indian Express spoke to his lawyers and traced the 2 decades journey.
2) For decades, the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has been at the forefront of the Government’s national rankings, placed at No. 2 over the past two years alone. It has also been the crucible of campus activism, its protests often spilling into national debates, its student leaders going on to become the faces and voices of political parties of all hues and thoughts. The Indian Express looked at all court cases spanning over two decades and did an investigation.
3) Investigation on the 700 Delhi riots cases. The Indian Express found that in 17 of 93 acquittals (which amounted to 85% of the decided cases) in Delhi riots cases, courts red-flag ‘fabricated’ evidence and pulled up the police.
Signature Style
Nirbhay’s writing is characterized by its procedural depth. He excels at summarizing 400-page chargesheets and complex court orders into digestible news for the general public.
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