Preserve Footage of Raid on Lawyer Pracha: Court to Delhi Police

Pracha also told the court that a Delhi Police official had threatened him with a false case against him.

The Delhi Police Special Cell raided the office of advocate Mehmood Pracha.

(Kamran Akhter/The Quint)

A Delhi Court on Sunday, 28 December, gave directions to the Delhi Police to preserve the entire video footage of the search conducted at lawyer Mehmood Pracha’s house in connection with a case related to violence in North-East Delhi.

Duty Metropolitan Magistrate Udhav Kumar Jain, according to NDTV, stated that at the present stage, directions for preserving the video footage are only necessary and the concerned court can decide on supplying the video footage to Mehmood Pracha at the correct stage.

The court asked for the entire footage of the search to be preserved with its seal and be placed before the concerned for orders, reported NDTV.

The matter has now been listed for 5 January.

WHAT HAD PRACHA SAID?

According to NDTV, Mehmood Pracha had informed the court that his office was searched on 24 December. He had further pointed out that in keeping with the provisions of Section 165 of the CrPC, the agency should have intimated the concerned Magistrate about the search and the seized articles immediately.

However, Pracha reportedly informed, that the same had been done, and therefore, he had filed an application under Section 165(5) CrPC. He also told the Court that the entire search was videographed as per a 22 December court order, and submitted that he was entitled to a copy of the video footage.

Further, Pracha, said that a Delhi Police official had threatened him with a false case against him.

BACKGROUND

The Delhi Police, on its part, registered an FIR against Delhi-based advocate Mehmood Pracha where he and his associates have been accused of allegedly abusing and intimidating the police team that searched his office premises for 15 hours straight on 24 and 25 December.

Reportedly, the Delhi police has made allegations of forgery and instigating a man to depose falsely in a case linked with North-East Delhi riots against Mehmood Pracha.

Pracha was a lawyer for many accused and complainants in cases pertaining to violence in North-East Delhi in February 2020.