Sinister practice of individuals, NGOs giving crimes political or communal flavour has become norm: Govt to HC

New Delhi, Jan 31 (PTI) The Centre has told the Delhi High Court that a "sinister practice" of individuals and NGOs with vested interest giving certain crimes a "political or communal flavour" and spreading a biased narrative that the government backs a particular community to discredit statutory investigations has become the norm.

The government made the submission in an affidavit while endorsing a petition that sought declaration of fact-finding reports by various extra-judicial bodies such as the Delhi Minorities Commission (DMC) on the 2020 communal riots in northeast Delhi as having no standing in law.

This is needed to maintain the purity of judicial process and fairness in ongoing trials riots' cases, it said. To discredit statutory investigations, individuals, private organisations and NGOs with vested interests, first create a social media storm and generate a biased narrative accusing the government of being the mastermind of an offence against a particular community or caste, the government said in its affidavit filed through standing counsel Monika Arora.