EXCLUSIVE “The Delhi Police Special Cell is under pressure to threaten or eliminate me, on the orders of Honorable Home Minister Mr. Amit Shah” Mehmood Pracha

 A short exclusive interview of Interview of the Supreme Court advocate Mehmood Pracha after the court stayed search warrant against him. Just a brief recap first.

Ever since Mr. Mehmood Pracha started a movement against the illegal manhandling, arrest and accusations against the minority protecting individuals in India, he is reportedly being harassed by different non-government and government agencies, frequently.

His office was being raided and a search warrant was issued in his name, as he was representing some accused related to Delhi riots that were held in February this year.

Pracha had opposed the Delhi police’s demand for the seizure of hard disk of his computer. He had said that the policy should retrieve only relevant information, and that, in the presence of a magistrate.

He has been accused by the Delhi Police on allegedly filing a false affidavit in one of the cases linked with the Delhi riot and also “tutoring” the key witnesses and victims to give false statements. Rejecting the accusations, Pracha had said the police was trying to intimidate him and were acting “under their political masters”.

Pracha’s office was raided twice, in December last year and early this week. He has accused Delhi Police (Special Cell) that it seized its computer and laptop during the raid, to which the Supreme Court Bar Association protested by stating, that the raids were “arbitrary, illegal and brazen exercise of brute power and that the seizures of confidential information protected by lawyer-client client privilege “will prejudicially affect the rights and guarantees of the accused.”

A quick interview of Mr. Pracha after he obtained the Stay Order on March 11.

He says, “We had told the court that the police in this case is aware, and same was also recorded last time that they is nothing that they have to find in my office. They under threat from our honourable Home Minister Mr. Amit Shah, to threaten me and eliminate me, if I don’t toe their line, of pursuing the Delhi riots cases from the side of the victims. And I am taking lot of other high-end cases of corruption of the present government by Gujarat industrialists and lot of other corruption cases that some members of BJP are doing. In one such case, even RSS has approached me to file a case against the government. For example, a case has come against the appointment of the chairman of Lalit Kala Akademi. For they know that they need a lawyer with integrity and honesty to fight their case. Some RSS people can be good too. They come under exceptions.”

Coming back to the raid, Mr. Pracha says that “the police had moved an application that they were not allowed to complete the raid earlier, after the first raid (in December 2020). Therefore they moved an application before the magistrate that that they wanted to complete the raid in his presence. But they withdrew that application and moved another application. “

“Again an order was passed behind my back but, in this case too, I was told that I would be informed about the raid. But the Special Cell Delhi Police ensured that they visited my office in my absence. They planned it in such a way that, when only my junior, non-lawyer staff would be there, they would visit, so that they could snatch whatever files etc and loot my office. Earlier also, they had robbed my office in my absence. “

“How did they make sure that I was not in the office as I was conducting a case for the Special Cell only. I was in Patiala House, and their officers were also there. They knew I was not at my office. So they raided behind my back.”

“My locks at the gate has been damaged and broken, there are clear signs of the same. I have all photographs of the same. I still don’t what all they have taken away. What files are missing? What they have done will be known only if I get me the video recording of the raid, of what they have done inside.”

“When I pointed it out these facts to the court and said that in order to safeguard the interest of hundreds of rest of my clients whose life and liberty will be at peril, (if raids in this manner is done), we (Pracha’s team) said that I am willing to share with them all the information that the Special Cell Delhi police has asked. Even at the risk of self-implication, I am willing to say that the allegations made by Delhi Police is true and I didn’t give them a copy of the same.”

Then the honroable judge of court stayed the order for tomorrow (March 12) 4 p.m”, he said.

Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Pankaj Sharma of Patiala House Court asked the Delhi Police to file its response on the matter by March 19, the next date of hearing.

The Ministry of Home Affairs did not respond to the queries immediately.

We will follow this story up.