Today, On 3rd December, In the Delhi Riots bail case, the Supreme Court has asked Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, Gulfisha Fatima, and Meeran Haider to furnish their permanent addresses. The Bench has now scheduled the next hearing for December 9.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court continued hearing the bail pleas filed by several accused in the alleged larger conspiracy behind the 2020 Northeast Delhi riots.
The matter came up before a Bench comprising Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice N.V. Anjaria.
The bail applications of Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, Gulfisha Fatima, and Meeran Haider are being heard together.
The case is linked to allegations that the accused were part of a conspiracy to incite violence during the 2020 riots in Delhi, which occurred following protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
When the matter was taken up, Justice Kumar first asked the lawyers how much time they would require to complete their submissions.
Senior Advocate Siddharth Dave replied that he would need one hour.
Justice Kumar immediately disagreed and said,
“No No half an hour for all of you.”
Dave then pointed out that the Additional Solicitor General (ASG) had earlier said he would need much more time.
Dave told the Bench,
“Mr Raju said he needs at least half a day.”
The Court said
“Give the present address of each of them,”
Senior Advocate Siddhartha Dave, appearing for one of the accused, said.
“Permanent address? Present address is jail,”
Justice Kumar replied,
“Erstwhile address,”
Dave said,
“I’ll ask them to furnish,”
The Court also said that the arguments in the matter have been going on for long and the lawyers appearing in the case should cut short their submissions.
After hearing both sides, Justice Kumar clarified the schedule.
He said the matter would now be heard next week and announced,
“The matter will be taken up next Tuesday, December 9. Each side will get 15 minutes for reply arguments, and the ASG’s clarification should not exceed 30 minutes.”
He also asked the lawyers to provide the full residential details of all individuals involved in the case.
In response, Dave said,
“Their temporary address is Tihar Jail.”
The ASG then requested the court to shift the hearing date because of his prior commitments, telling the Bench that he needed the matter listed later.
He said,
“Please list the matter on the 11th, as I will be in the Bombay High Court.”
Justice Kumar refused to postpone the hearing beyond December 10 and replied,
“Let them conclude on the 9th we can accommodate you on the 10th.”
Earlier, yesterday, Mr. Sibal siad that Umar Khalid was not even present when the riots took place.
He added,
“I ask myself, I am an academic in an institution. What can I do to overthrow the State?”
He emphasised once again that the Amravati speech was neither communal nor inflammatory in any manner. He pointed out that similar allegations had been made against co-accused who are already out on bail, and said,
Senior advocate Siddhartha Dave began his rejoinder submissions on behalf of Sharjeel Imam.
He asserted,
“I am not a terrorist. I am not an anti-national. I am a citizen of this country,”
He added that the State has described his client as a “dangerous intellectual terrorist” despite having no conviction to rely on.
Previously, The Delhi Police firmly opposed the release of student activists Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, and three others charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in connection with the 2020 Northeast Delhi riots conspiracy case.
In a statement to the Supreme Court, the police contended that the alleged offenses represented a deliberate attempt to undermine the state, thus justifying “jail and not bail,” as reported by media outlets on Thursday.
The police argued that the petitioners were attempting to portray themselves as victims due to prolonged imprisonment, even though the delay in the trial was a result of their own actions.
In a detailed 177-page affidavit submitted on October 30, the Delhi Police argued that the violence that erupted in February 2020 was not merely a spontaneous reaction to protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), but rather a part of a coordinated “regime change operation” disguised as civil dissent, according to a report in the media.
This development comes just a day before the case is set for a hearing.
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The police indicated that encrypted chats and messages show the protests were strategically timed to coincide with Trump’s visit in February 2020, ensuring global attention.
The prosecution also pointed to unrest that erupted around the same time in various states, including Uttar Pradesh, Assam, West Bengal, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, and Bihar, suggesting a “pan-India plan” rather than isolated incidents.
Recently, Umar Khalid informed the sessions court at Karkardooma that the prosecution has added embellishments to the chargesheet regarding the larger conspiracy case tied to the 2020 Delhi Riots.
The accused in this case include Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, Safoora Zargar, Natasha Narwal, Asif Iqbal Tanha, Tahir Hussain, Khalid Saifi, Isharat Jahan, Meeran Haider, Gulfisha Fatima, Shifa-Ur-Rehman, Shadab Ahmed, Tasleem Ahmed, Saleem Malik, Mohd Saleem Khan, Athar Khan, and Faizan Khan.
The violence occurred during protests against the proposed Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC), resulting in 53 deaths and over 700 injuries.
According to the allegations, Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, Gulfisha Fatima, Shifa Ur Rehman and Meeran Haider were involved in orchestrating protests, delivering inflammatory speeches and mobilising crowds, which, as per the prosecution, triggered the large-scale violence in Delhi in 2020.
They are now seeking bail from the Supreme Court under the stringent provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) concerning the February 2020 Delhi riots. In 2020, Imam was arrested under the UAPA and identified as the main conspirator in the Delhi riots case.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is set to hear the bail applications filed by Khalid and others on Friday, October 31.
Earlier, On September 2, the Delhi High Court denied bail to Imam, Khalid, and seven others: Mohd Saleem Khan, Shifa Ur Rehman, Athar Khan, Meeran Haider, Shadab Ahmed, Abdul Khalid Saifi, and Gulfisha Fatima. On the same day, another accused, Tasleem Ahmed, had his bail plea rejected by a different bench of the High Court.
Case Title: Gulfisha Fatima v. State (Govt. of NCT of Delhi) and registered as SLP (Crl.) No. 13988/2025
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