The Delhi Police on Tuesday urged the Delhi High Court to take a “very strict view” on bail applications filed by activists Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, and six others accused in connection with the 2020 Delhi riots. The violence, which took place between February 23 and 26, 2020, resulted in 53 deaths and hundreds of injuries, with most of the casualties being Muslims.
Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma, representing the Delhi Police, described the riots as a “conspiracy” that was “clinical, pathological” and planned by forces “inimical to India.” Sharma cited the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) in opposition to the bail petitions, arguing that the offences faced by the accused carried the possibility of life imprisonment.
The accused activists—Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, Mohd. Saleem Khan, Shifa ur Rehman, Shadab Ahmed, Athar Khan, Khalid Saifi, and Gulfisha Fatima—have been in jail for over four years. They face charges under the Indian Penal Code, Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, Arms Act, and the UAPA. The police claim the violence was part of a larger conspiracy to defame Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, allegedly orchestrated by those involved in protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
The activists seeking bail have argued that their trial has been unduly delayed and sought parity with other co-accused, including student activists Asif Iqbal Tanha, Devangana Kalita, and Natasha Narwal, who were granted bail in 2021. Sharma, however, countered that the bail granted to Tanha, Narwal, and Kalita should not be considered a precedent.
The High Court heard arguments on Tuesday, with Sharma emphasizing that the circumstances had not changed enough to warrant Khalid’s bail. Khalid, who had previously been denied bail by trial courts, had approached the High Court after his bail plea was rejected by a lower court on May 28, 2023. He had previously withdrawn his petition from the Supreme Court after it was adjourned multiple times.
Sharma also criticized the delay caused by the accused in advancing the trial and stressed on the importance of timely proceedings. The High Court hearing will continue on Wednesday.
