New Delhi:

The Delhi Legal Services Authority is preparing a victim impact report (VIR) in a case related to the 2020 Northeast Delhi riots. During the course of the proceedings, the court found that it received a letter from the agency’s secretary containing “very disturbing” Factual correspondence.

The bench forwarded a copy of the letter to the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) for “immediate necessary action” against him.

The court described the delay in VIR preparations as “unfortunate” at a previous hearing on the matter.

When the case was heard at around 10.30am on Saturday, the court said the DCP and DLSA were yet to respond.

The court issued reminder letters to the DCP and DLSA to ensure filing of a VIR in the case and posted the matter for further proceedings on April 20.

At 11 a.m., the court said it received a sealed envelope containing a letter from the DLSA secretary.

“I have read the letter from the secretary. The facts mentioned therein are very disturbing and therefore, in view of the facts mentioned in the letter apprised to the court, we will forward a copy of this letter to the DCP so that necessary action can be taken immediately action,” said Additional Sessions Judge Pulastya Pramachala.

The Delhi High Court has laid down the procedure for preparation of VIR after conviction of an accused to assess the damage suffered by the victims of crime, including their physical, emotional and financial hardship.

In every post-conviction criminal trial, the DLSA must file a VIR with the trial court.

Additional Sessions Judge Pramachala on Saturday directed the DCP to take action based on the DLSA letter while hearing arguments from Jony Kumar, who was sentenced for rioting and arson.

Earlier on April 1, the court noted that the Delhi Legal Services Authority (DLSA) secretary had requested the court to file a VIR at a future date as the investigating officer (IO) did not produce one of the victims before the court. interaction.

The judge said it was “unfortunate” that there had been a delay in the preparation of the VIR related to the case.

“The Deputy Commissioner of Police, Northeast District, is requested to sensitize all station officials (SHOs) and IOs and ensure that the victim is introduced to the DLSA at the earliest so that the VIR can be prepared by the DLSA at the earliest,” the court said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)