Delhi Riots 2024: Unlawful Assembly & Police Power

You might have seen the recent news about the Delhi riots case where a judge rejected bail to accused saying the police action was justified. Here, the concept of 'unlawful assembly' under CrPC comes into play. Section 141 says if 5 or more people assemble to commit an offense, they can be charged with an unlawful assembly. In the Delhi riots case, the accused were involved in violence, arson, and damage to public property during the 2020 riots. The police had registered over 60,000 cases, and the accused were charged under various sections, including Section 141 of CrPC. In cases like these, the police have a lot of power to act in situations where public order is disturbed, and this power can sometimes be misused.