If you take law in hand, then face law: Delhi HC to Shahrukh Pathan

"If you take law in your hands and become a hero, then you have to face the law. And your intention was to become a hero," said a single judge bench of the High Court presided by Justice Suresh Kumar Kait. The observation came during the course of the hearing of the application filed by Pathan, the man who had flashed a gun at the policemen during Delhi riots in February this year. The picture had gone viral on the social media.

The prosecution informed that Pathan was leading the mob which could be clearly seen in the video which is on record. "This video was provided to us by a senior journalist from a leading newspaper. He has also been examined under section 161 of the CrPC', the prosecution said.

It added that the weapon in question belongs to the accused and the same has been recovered from the car that he used for absconding. "He had purchased this from a man in Uttar Pradesh, along with 20 live cartridges," the counsel told the court. After hearing the submissions and examining the documents and evidence, the court remarked that Pathan was trying to lead the mob in order to become a hero.

"You were trying to become a hero and lead the mob. You also purchased more than 20 live cartridges. You became a hero and your intention was to be one, but, if you take law in your hands and become a hero, then you have to face the law," the court said.

The Petitioner's counsel Asghar Khan argued before the court that his client is a victim of circumstances, adding that the accused has no criminal antecedents, the challan has already been filed, and there's no evidence of anyone getting injured by the alleged acts of the accused.

He also argued that the FIR was not registered on the information by Complainant. Khan also pointed out that there are discrepancies in the statements given by the concerned police officer Deepak Dahiya. "My client was provoked to participate in the agitation and he has not participated in any other incident concerning the riots," Khan said.

However, post the arguments, the court said that it was not inclined to grant bail to Pathan following which Khan sought permission to withdraw the petition.

The court granted him the permission to do so and the matter was dismissed as withdrawn.

The Delhi Police in its chargesheet filed before a Delhi court has stated that Pathan along with four others has been found to be a part of a deep-rooted conspiracy which triggered the communal riot at Maujpur Chowk in north east Delhi.

In the Maujpur Chowk riot case, the police found that on February 24 at about 11 a.m., two groups (one anti-CAA and one pro-CAA) clashed at the chowk. This led to injuries to several policemen as well as other people and created an atmosphere of fear among the public. On that day, one person Vinod Singh lost his life in a related incident and a separate case of murder was registered against his killers. (IANS)

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