Support to Meet the Justice to the Victims of Night of Terror, Delhi, 27.09.2022!

Five men namely Anwar, Hamid, Manzoor, Salman and Usman (changed names) were unlawfully picked and detained from their respective houses located in a Muslim populated area of the South East Delhi while they were sleeping in the midnight of September 27, 2022 by a huge force of Delhi Police along with the para-military forces without disclosing any information and without following the procedures established by the law.

Some press links of the story: Pal Pal News | ANI | Live Law | Hindu Post | Article14 | Kashmir Media Service | Muslim Mirror | Newsroom Odisha | The Indian Express | The Economic Times | Maktoob | National Herald | NDTV | The Siasat Daily | inshorts | Bar and Banch | Madhyamam | Live Law | The New Indian Express | OpIndia | The Week | Rediff News

Police personnels, all males, abruptly barged into the homes of these people at about 03:00 AM to 03:30 AM while paying no regard to the privacy and decency of the female family members, and even unlawfully picked and took away various belongings of these people and their family members.

Later on, these people were unlawfully booked U/S 107/151 of the CrPC and were produced before the Special Executive Magistrate, South East Delhi who sent them to judicial custody in Tihar Jail unlawfully for undisclosed reason and duration.

Families of these victims, being poor and marginalised, approached ‘Lawyers in Action’ for free legal assistance, and our associated free legal aid provider, LegalLords LLP, took the matter and due to their timely and effective response, all these victims were able to get bail and came out from the jail.

We had filed a Writ Petition (Criminal) No. XX79/2022 in the High Court of Delhi to seek justice for these people.

However, this was not the end of their horror dream. Anwar, Hamid and Manzoor were released from the jail on October 2, 2022; however, they never came out from the exit gate of Tihar Jail as they were abducted by the Delhi Police personnels from within the jail premise just after their release from their respective cells, and took them to some undisclosed location after tying the knot on their eyes. Delhi Police Personnels kept them in their illegal detention for about two days. During their illegal detention, they were physically and mentally tortured and abused and were forced not to sleep.

Again, we had filed a Writ Petition (Criminal) No. XX78/2022 in the High Court of Delhi to seek justice for Anwar, Hamid and Manzoor.

Delhi Police produced Anwar, Hamid and Manzoor in the Patiala House Court, New Delhi on October 4, 2022 after falsely implicated them in a case under FIR No. 3X5/2022 PS XXXX, South East Delhi U/S 120B/153A of the IPC and U/S 10 of the UAPA, and the Court sent them to police custody.

The fate of Salman and Usman was not different. They were also released from the jail on October 4, 2022 and were abducted by the Delhi Police personnels in the same manner and were kept in their illegal detention for about two days and were physically and mentally tortured and abused and were forced not to sleep.

Again, we had filed a Writ Petition (Criminal) No. XX77/2022 in the High Court of Delhi to seek justice for Salman and Usman.

Again, Delhi Police produced Salman and Usman in the Patiala House Court, New Delhi on October 6, 2022 after falsely implicated them in the same case under FIR No. 3X5/2022, and the Court sent them to police custody.

Again, we had moved bail applications for each of them before the Trial Court on October 31, 2022; however, the Trial Court had failed to dispose of these bail applications within time, and aggrieved, we had moved to the High Court of Delhi on November 16, 2022 through interim bail applications bearing numbers XX56/2022, XX62/2022, XX64/2022, XX65/2022, XXXXX34/2022 for each of them respectively.

Again, our team of lawyers showing exemplary efforts managed to convince the Trial Court, on November 28, 2022, and succeeded in obtaining bail for these people who were falsely implicated in the case.

Again, we had filed two Criminal Writ Petitions bearing numbers XX/2023 and XX2/2023 in the High Court of Delhi to seek justice for Anwar, Hamid, Manzoor, Salman and Usman; however, the High Court has turned down these writ petitions asking the petitioners to approach the police first for their grievance.

Now, these people, at one hand, have to contest their cases in which they have been falsely implicated by the police, and at another hand, have to take steps so the erring police personnels can be punished.

We should show solidarity and stand up with such victims of arbitrariness and oppression. Before we become the next victim, we should help and assist these people in their legal battle and put a full stop on such state sponsored oppression.

We are providing free legal aid to all these victims, and in doing so, we need Rs. 5,00,000 in total, which we will utilise for providing legal representation before the Trial Court, High Court, and Supreme Court as per the requirement so the ends of justice could meet.