After the Supreme Court of India denied bail to Umar Khalid, ASG SV Raju launched a sharp attack on foreign support extended by US lawmakers, including Zohran Mamdani. Raju alleged that the CAA protests were a façade and hinted at suspected external influence behind the 2020 Delhi riots.
New Delhi: Additional Solicitor General of India SV Raju, who argued the 2020 Delhi riots cases for the Union government before the Supreme Court of India and the Delhi High Court, has welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision refusing bail to the prime accused Sharjeel Imam and Umar Khalid.
Speaking in an interview with Arnab Goswami, Editor-in-Chief of Republic TV, ASG SV Raju explained what he claimed was the real intention behind the protests that led to the violence in north-east Delhi in February 2020.
He said,
“CAA a facade, real motive was pan-India regime change… They felt like they could have a mass moment, something similar to Bangladesh,”
Referring to the message he believes has been sent by the Supreme Court through its decision, Raju stated,
“You have to pay for your crime when you are anti-national or a terrorist. The court does not favour anti-national activities.”
He further addressed the long delay in the disposal of the bail pleas, rejecting the argument that the justice system was responsible for the delay. According to him, the accused themselves prolonged the process.
Raju said,
“The law has not been delayed by itself. In this case, the delay was triggered by the accused. You might be sure you won’t get bail, so you delay the trial,”
ASG Raju also spoke about what he described as international interference in the case and expressed suspicion over foreign political support extended to Umar Khalid. Pointing to a letter written by Zohran Mamdani, a New York City politician, he suggested that the alleged attempt at regime change may have had external influence.
“American lawmakers supported the bail. The so-called regime change might have been engineered from outside. It remains in a realm of suspicion otherwise why would American lawmakers be interested in a case in India. There are other cases also. Why have they not said anything about any other case? They have not read the earlier judgement of the High Court, they have not read the case papers, they have not seen the evidence, they don’t know what the Indian law is. If these people were in India, they would have probably been hauled up for contempt of court. “
Zohran Mamdani had earlier written a letter expressing support for Umar Khalid, who is an accused in the alleged larger conspiracy behind the north-east Delhi riots.
Following Mamdani’s letter, eight other lawmakers from the United States also wrote a joint letter urging the Indian government to ensure what they described as a fair and timely trial.
The letter was led by Jim McGovern, Ranking Member of the House Rules Committee and Co-chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission. The letter was addressed to India’s Ambassador to the United States Vinay Kwatra.
As mentioned in the letter, McGovern and other lawmakers had met Umar Khalid’s parents earlier in December.
In a post on X, McGovern stated,
“Earlier this month, I met with the parents of Umar Khalid, who has been jailed in India for over 5 years without trial. Representative Raskin and I are leading our colleagues to urge that he be granted bail and a fair, timely trial in accordance with international law.”
The joint letter further claimed,
“Umar Khalid has been detained without bail for 5 years under UAPA, which independent human rights experts have warned may contravene international standards of equality before the law, due process and proportionality…India must uphold the rights of individuals to receive a trial with reasonable time or to be release and be presume innocent until proven guilty…We request that your government share steps taken to ensure that judicial proceedings against Khali and co-accused who remain in detention comport with international standard.”
The signatories to the letter included Jamie Raskin, Chris Van Hollen, Peter Welch, Pramila Jayapal, Rashida Tlaib, Jan Schakowsky and Lloyd Doggett.
The letter followed another personal note written by Zohran Mamdani, which was shared on social media by Umar Khalid’s partner Banojyotsna. In the note, Mamdani wrote,
“I think of your words on bitterness often, and the importance of not letting it consume one’s self. It was a pleasure to meet your parents. We are all thinking of you.”
On Monday, the Supreme Court refused to grant bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the case relating to the alleged larger conspiracy behind the 2020 north-east Delhi riots. However, the court granted bail to Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa Ur Rehman”], Mohd. Saleem Khan and Shadab Ahmad.
The Supreme Court observed that Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam stand on a “qualitatively different footing” compared to the other accused, both in terms of the prosecution’s case and the evidence placed on record.
The court noted that their roles were “central” to the alleged offences and held that although their incarceration has been long, it does not violate constitutional safeguards or override the strict conditions imposed under law.
Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam and others were arrested in January 2020 under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act in connection with the riots that broke out in February 2020 during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the proposed National Register of Citizens. The violence resulted in the deaths of 53 people and left more than 700 injured.
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