The court directed them to clean four police stations.
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has directed 24 people to do "basic cleaning work" for three days at four police stations here while agreeing to quash a criminal case against them.
Justice Saurabh Banerjee asked the 24 individuals to divide themselves into four groups of six people each to clean Mehrauli, Fatehpur Beri, Maidan Garhi, and Neb Sarai police stations.
Two FIRs were registered at Mehrauli police station under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including for voluntarily causing hurt, culpable homicide not amounting to murder, and rioting following a scuffle between neighbours.
The high court agreed to quash the FIRs after noting that the parties have voluntarily settled their disputes and do not wish to pursue the criminal proceedings further.
"In view of the fact that a settlement has been reached between the parties and as the respondents do not wish to continue with the criminal proceedings, in order to bring a quietus to the present disputes, this court is of the opinion that continuation of the aforesaid FIR will be an exercise in futility," the judge said.
The high court quashed the FIRs with "directions to all the named 24 parties involved herein, consisting of... that all of them would divide themselves into 4 groups of 6 persons each who would undertake basic cleaning work for 3 days, that is, on Monday, Thursday, and Sunday of the week commencing from September 18 at the below-mentioned 4 police stations, namely Mehrauli, Fatehpur Beri, Maidan Garhi, and Neb Sarai, to the satisfaction of the investigating officer concerned".
These 24 people shall be at liberty to decide amongst themselves as to the composition of each group of 6 persons and also the police station where each group shall undertake the basic cleaning duty, it said.