Five years after the deadly 2020 Delhi riots that shook the northeastern parts of the city, a Delhi court on April 1, 2025, directed the Delhi Police to register an FIR against Law Minister Kapil Mishra for his alleged involvement in the violence that claimed over 50 lives and injured more than 700 people. The order, issued by Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Vaibhav Chaurasia, came after the court reviewed a plea filed by Mohammad Ilyas, a resident of Yamuna Vihar, who accused Mishra of inciting the riots between February 24 and 26, 2020. The court found “prima facie” evidence of a cognizable offense, noting that prosecution materials confirmed Mishra’s presence in the affected area during the unrest. The judge emphasized that “all the things were corroborating” and stressed the need for further investigation into Mishra’s role, pointing to his alleged threats against anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protesters on February 23, 2020, alongside other BJP leaders like Mohan Singh Bisht and Jagdish Pradhan.
The case traces back to the chaotic days of the 2020 riots, when a 10-member fact-finding team constituted by the Delhi Minorities Commission submitted a damning report in July 2020, explicitly implicating Kapil Mishra in the violence. The report detailed how Mishra, in the presence of then-North East DCP Ved Prakash Surya, openly threatened to take matters into his own hands if roads blocked by anti-CAA protesters were not cleared within three days. It accused him of inciting violence by encouraging “extra-legal tactics” while the police, despite being present, failed to apprehend him—an inaction the report described as a critical failure to prevent the ensuing bloodshed. Ilyas’s petition further alleged that Mishra, along with police officials and other BJP figures, intimidated protesters, obstructed roads in Kardampuri, and vandalized street vendors’ handicrafts, actions that allegedly set the stage for the riots. While the Delhi Police had previously opposed linking Mishra to the violence in March 2025 and instead named student activists like Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam as conspirators, the court’s latest ruling has reignited scrutiny of Mishra’s actions.
This development marks a significant turn in a case that has lingered in public memory for its brutality and polarizing aftermath. The court’s directive also extends to an FIR against the Station House Officer (SHO) of Dayalpur police station and five others, reflecting broader allegations of complicity and negligence during the riots. Legal experts suggest that the order could open a Pandora’s box of investigations into political and police conduct at the time. Meanwhile, Mishra’s camp has yet to respond publicly to the court’s decision, though the ruling has already sparked debates online and in political circles. For residents like Ilyas, who have long sought justice for the devastation of 2020, the court’s acknowledgment of “further probe required” offers a glimmer of hope—though the path to accountability, five years on, remains fraught with challenges.
