The Delhi Police has described a planned conspiracy to divide the north-eastern Delhi riots of 2020 on religious grounds and discredit the country globally. In the Delhi High Court on Wednesday, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta opposed the bail petitions of student activists Gulfisha Fatima, Sharjil Imam, Umar Khalid and United Against Hate founder Khalid Saifi. Mehta said that it was not a normal riots, but a conspiracy to break the country. He told the court that bail should not be granted in such cases, until the accused is acquitted or proved guilty.
In these riots in February 2020, 53 people were killed and hundreds were injured. Delhi Police claimed that it had recorded statements of 58 witnesses to the magistrate. The bail petitions of Omar Khalid, Sharjil Imam and others in the case of conspiracy related to these riots are pending in the High Court since 2022. The police have registered it under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and said the conspiracy was already ready.
During the court hearing, the bail plea of another accused Taslim Ahmed was also discussed. His lawyer Mahmood Pracha said that Ahmed has been in jail since 24 June 2020 and the trial is being delayed even after five years. He said that co-accused Devangana Kalita, Natasha Narwal and Asif Iqbal Tanha have been granted bail on a delay in 2021. But Special Public Prosecutor Amit Prasad protested that the prosecution cannot be held responsible for the delay in the trial, as many times the hearing on the request of the accused has been deferred.
The Delhi High Court has reserved the verdict on the bail petitions of Omar Khalid, Shazil Imam and others. The matter highlights communal violence and legal process complications in the country.
