Court flags delay in application for police custody in Northeast Delhi riots case

Rajdhani Public School owner Faisal Farooq was recently granted bail in connection with a riot case, with the judge noting that the police “chargesheet is bereft of material showing the links of applicant with PFI, Pinjra Tod group and Muslim clerics”.

3 min readNew DelhiJun 27, 2020 04:14 AM IST

Delhi riots, Delhi HC, Faisal Farooq, Delhi news, Indian express news

Police had moved Delhi High Court to cancel his bail, following which the HC had stayed the trial court’s order. Later, Farooq’s lawyers had informed High Court that he was arrested in a separate case related to the riots. (Representational)

A Delhi court refused to grant Delhi Police custody of Rajdhani Public School owner Faisal Farooq, who was arrested in connection with a Northeast Delhi riot-related case, noting that the investigating officer knew the facts of the case from the first day but the application was moved after a delay of four months.

Farooq was recently granted bail in connection with a riot case, with the judge noting that the police “chargesheet is bereft of material showing the links of applicant with PFI, Pinjra Tod group and Muslim clerics”. Police had moved Delhi High Court to cancel his bail, following which the HC had stayed the trial court’s order. Later, Farooq’s lawyers had informed High Court that he was arrested in a separate case related to the riots.

Metropolitan Magistrate Richa Parihar, who refused to grant police four days custody of the accused, noted, “I do not find any justification in moving the present application after delay of about four months when the facts were within the knowledge of the IO himself from the very first day of incident, moreover, both cases are simultaneously registered at the same police station i.e. Dayalpur. Considering overall facts and circumstance of the case…I do not consider it a fit case for grant of police custody remand of accused.”

The investigating officer had informed the court that “76 FIRs have been registered and that the facts of the present case are different” from the case in which Farooq was granted bail. The IO argued that they required the custody of the accused for further investigation, the arrest of co-accused persons and to collect corroborative evidence in the present case.

Farooq’s lawyer R K Kochar opposed the police remand, arguing that it was “an abuse of process of law”. Kochar had argued that the “FIR in the present case has been malafidely registered against the accused on the same facts”. He also submitted that “accused was formally arrested in present case on 22.06.2020 only to defeat the purpose of bail granted to accused” in the previous case.

The court had noted that it was a matter of record that when Farooq was arrested in the previous case, the police had got his three-day custody on the pretext that he was to be taken to various places of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and some parts of Delhi. The court noted that the allegations in both FIRs were similar and took place on the same day “thus the ingredient of the alleged offence in both FIRs are more or less similar”.

Anand Mohan J

Anand Mohan J is an award-winning Senior Correspondent for The Indian Express, currently leading the bureau’s coverage of Madhya Pradesh. With a career spanning over eight years, he has established himself as a trusted voice at the intersection of law, internal security, and public policy. Based in Bhopal, Anand is widely recognized for his authoritative reporting on Maoist insurgency in Central India. In late 2025, he provided exclusive, ground-level coverage of the historic surrender of the final Maoist cadres in Madhya Pradesh, detailing the backchannel negotiations and the "vacuum of command" that led to the state being declared Maoist-free. Expertise and Reporting Beats Anand’s investigative work is characterized by a "Journalism of Courage" approach, holding institutions accountable through deep-dive analysis of several key sectors: National Security & Counter-Insurgency: He is a primary chronicler of the decline of Naxalism in the Central Indian corridor, documenting the tactical shifts of security forces and the rehabilitation of surrendered cadres. Judiciary & Legal Accountability: Drawing on over four years of experience covering Delhi’s trial courts and the Madhya Pradesh High Court, Anand deconstructs complex legal rulings. He has exposed critical institutional lapses, including custodial safety violations and the misuse of the National Security Act (NSA). Wildlife Conservation (Project Cheetah): Anand is a leading reporter on Project Cheetah at Kuno National Park. He has provided extensive coverage of the biological and administrative hurdles of rewilding Namibian and South African cheetahs, as well as high-profile cases of wildlife trafficking. Public Health & Social Safety: His recent investigative work has uncovered systemic negligence in public services, such as contaminated blood transfusions causing HIV infections in thalassemia patients and the human cost of the fertilizer crisis affecting rural farmers. Professional Background Tenure: Joined The Indian Express in 2017. Locations: Transitioned from the high-pressure Delhi City beat (covering courts, police, and labor issues) to his current role as a regional lead in Madhya Pradesh. Notable Investigations: * Exposed the "digital arrest" scams targeting entrepreneurs. Investigated the Bandhavgarh elephant deaths and the impact of kodo millet fungus on local wildlife. Documented the transition of power and welfare schemes (like Ladli Behna) in Madhya Pradesh governance. Digital & Professional Presence Author Profile: Anand Mohan J at Indian Express Twitter handle: @mohanreports ... Read More

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