Nearly five years after the communal violence that rocked Northeast Delhi in 2020, the judicial response to the cases has laid bare disturbing failures in the police’s investigative process. As trials progress, local courts have repeatedly criticised the Delhi Police for misconduct ranging from manipulated evidence to coerced witness statements.
An investigation by The Indian Express reveals that of the 116 riot-related cases where verdicts have been delivered by August 2025, 97 have ended in acquittals. In at least 17 of these, courts have explicitly noted serious lapses in the police investigation — pointing to a broader pattern of institutional negligence, or worse.
In some cases, judges found that complaints were written under the “direction or dictation” of the police. In others, testimonies appeared to have been “embellished” by investigating officers. Accused individuals were linked to crimes based on statements that lacked credibility, and in several instances, evidence appeared to have been fabricated or introduced artificially.
One such case highlighted the inclusion of a Muslim man named Babbu — who was in fact killed by a mob while returning home from work — as an accused in a rioting chargesheet. The killing was captured on CCTV, yet the official record placed him among the perpetrators. Legal professionals say this is not an isolated incident.
“It’s astonishing how far some of these investigations go to build a case, even if that means bending the truth,” said a lawyer involved in one of the acquittals. “It often seems the reports are more fictional than factual.”
The Indian Express report noted that in at least 12 cases, courts concluded that the evidence presented by police was either fabricated or unreliable. Witnesses in two separate trials testified that their statements had been dictated or significantly altered by investigators. Several judgments also suggested that police were more concerned with closing cases than ensuring justice.
In a recent ruling, Additional Sessions Judge Parveen Singh, while acquitting six individuals in a case handled by the New Usmanpur police station, called out “egregious padding of evidence” by the investigating officer. The judge said it appeared the accused were charge-sheeted merely to show the case had been “worked out,” adding that such practices severely undermine public confidence in law enforcement and the justice system.
The findings raise serious concerns not only about the handling of the Delhi riots cases, but also about systemic issues within police accountability and the rule of law.
