New Delhi The Delhi Police on Thursday urged the Delhi High Court to transfer Pinjra Tod activist Devangana Kalita’s petition seeking the CCTV footage and police WhatsApp group chats relied upon while registering cases against her regarding the Jafrabad violence during the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, from Justice Neena Bansal Krishna’s bench to any other judge for a fresh hearing.The request was made by Delhi Police’s counsel before bench of Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia. (HT Archive)The request was made by Delhi Police’s counsel before bench of Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia.The Delhi Police’s counsel submitted that while hearing Kalita’s petition in September 2024, Justice Krishna had restrained a trial court from passing a final order on framing charges in the case alleging a larger conspiracy behind the riots and had reserved judgment on the petition in January, but had not pronounced it even after nearly five months.He sought transfer relying on the Supreme Court’s May 29 ruling, in which the court issued directions to all high courts across the country, mandating that bail applications be decided on the same day or, at the latest, within 24 hours of hearing, while also fixing a three-month outer limit for pronouncement of reserved judgments.To be sure, under the directions, if a reserved judgment is not delivered within three months, the matter must automatically be placed before the Chief Justice of the High Court (HC) within two weeks. If the judgment is still not pronounced within the following two weeks, the Chief Justice may reassign the case to another bench for a fresh hearing.The counsel further submitted that co-accused Tahir Hussain was using the HC’s September 2024 order to seek bail on the ground of delay in trial, and the same was coming up for hearing before the HC on Monday.Considering the submission, the Chief Justice directed the counsel to provide details of the matter and said he would look into the issue on the administrative side.“Please give the details of the matter, where the judgment is reserved. Let me enquire and see what can be done by me on the administrative side,” the Chief Justice said to the counsel.Kalita had moved the HC in 2023 against the city court’s August 5, 2023, order. In the August 2023 order, the city court had refused to supply Kalita with a copy of CCTV footage about northeast Delhi and selective extracts of police WhatsApp group chats relied on by investigative officers while registering two criminal cases against her for allegedly instigating the riots and for the murder of a person during the Jafrabad violence.In September 2024, the HC restrained a city court, hearing a case alleging a larger conspiracy behind the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, from passing a final order on framing of charges.Justice Krishna reserved the verdict in the petition this January.Apart from Kalita, student activist Natasha Narwal, Jamia Coordination Committee member Safoora Zargar, former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain, and several others are also named as accused in the FIR for allegedly being a part of a premeditated conspiracy.