Court asks Delhi Police to file status report on advocate Mehmood Pracha's plea
Dec 25, 2020
New Delhi [India], December 25 : A Delhi Court on Friday directed Delhi Police to file a status report on lawyer Mehmood Pracha's plea seeking a continuous court-monitored investigation in a case against him and listed it for further hearing on January 5, 2021.
Duty Metropolitan Magistrate Anshul Singhal directed the Delhi police to file the status report before the concerned court on January 5, 2021.
Pracha told the court that the respondent investigation agency had on December 24 displayed an egregious example of lawlessness and illegalities under the guise of an investigation into the FIR, during their attempts to search for the articles which they had purportedly been directed to under the orders of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate.
The investigation conducted by the police has been video recorded by the police itself, but they have refused to share the same with the applicant Pracha.
The petitioner sought urgent directions to the effect that the footage of the entire video recording as conducted by the police during its search of the office premises of the applicant be preserved, be
shared with the applicant at a later stage if and when permitted by this court.
The applicant Pracha also sought directions to the effect that the investigation be monitored under the provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, including Sections 156 (3) and 157 thereof, and the relevant Delhi High Court Rules, including Volume III, Chapter 11.
Lawyer Mehmood Pracha has also moved an application seeking clarification of the order dated December 22 issuing a warrant to search his office. Pracha claimed in his plea that the police is "compelling" him to provide them with documents, failure of which will lead to seizure of his computers, documents, etc.
Pracha has submitted before this court that a search was conducted at his office on December 24 and according to the provisions of Section 165 CrPC, the agency should have intimated forthwith the search and the seized articles to the concerned Magistrate. However, he submits that the same has not been done and therefore, he has filed an application under section 165(5) of CrPC and submitted that the entire search was videographed as per court order dated December 22. He submitted that he is entitled to a copy of the video footage.
The court listed Pracha's plea on December 27 asking the Investigating Officer of the case to remain present in the court along with the entire video footage of any search conducted by him of the office premise of the applicant Pracha.
Pracha has also told the court that a Delhi Police official has threatened him that they will make a false case against him.
Delhi police had alleged that lawyer Mehmood Pracha forged documents and instigated a man to depose falsely in connection with a case related to the violence in north-east Delhi in February this year.
Advocate Mehmood Pracha has been representing various accused and complainants in the violence in north-east Delhi.
Various cases were registered over the northeast Delhi violence, in which at least 53 people were killed and several others were injured.
