The Supreme Court postponed hearing bail pleas of Delhi riots accused Tasleem Ahmed and Abdul Khalid Saifi in cases linked to the 2020 North-East Delhi riots after Additional Solicitor General S V Raju said detailed arguments would require substantial time before the Bench.
The Supreme Court postponed the hearing of bail applications filed by Delhi riots accused Tasleem Ahmed and Abdul Khalid Saifi in cases connected to the 2020 North-East Delhi riots.
A Bench comprising Justices Aravind Kumar and Prasanna B Varale took up the matter briefly during the day’s proceedings.
At the beginning of the hearing, Additional Solicitor General S V Raju, appearing for the prosecution, told the Court that the case would require substantial time for arguments. “This will take time,” ASG Raju submitted.
After hearing the submission, Justice Kumar indicated that the matter could be listed for hearing next Tuesday, May 19.
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Senior Advocate Rebecca John, representing one of the accused, requested the Court to schedule the hearing for Wednesday, May 20, stating she had a fixed matter on Tuesday. “I may be accommodated on Wednesday, as i have a time fixed matter on Tuesday,” she submitted.
In response, Justice Kumar remarked, “We will see. The other petitioner can argue on Tuesday”.
Background of the Case:
The bail pleas are connected to a larger conspiracy case arising from the 2020 Delhi riots. Saifi, previously associated with the civil society group United Against Hate, is among several persons booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Indian Penal Code in the conspiracy case investigated by the Delhi Police Special Cell.
The broader conspiracy case is based on the Delhi Police’s allegation that a coordinated conspiracy underlay the communal violence that erupted in North-East Delhi in February 2020, leaving over 50 people dead and hundreds injured. The investigators claim that protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) were allegedly used as a platform to plan riots and to organize blockades across different areas of the city.
Earlier this year, the Supreme Court issued notice on a petition filed by Khalid Saifi challenging the September 2, 2025 judgment of the Delhi High Court, which had refused him bail. At that stage, however, the apex court orally clarified that Saifi could not automatically seek parity with the Supreme Court’s January 2026 decision granting bail to five co-accused in the same matter.
In January 2026, the Supreme Court had granted bail to five accused, including activist Gulfisha Fatima, while rejecting bail for Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam. After that decision, the remaining accused including Tasleem Ahmed and Khalid Saifi moved the Supreme Court seeking similar relief.
Notice had already been issued in Tasleem Ahmed’s petition, and Saifi’s plea was subsequently tagged for hearing along with it.
In his plea, Saifi claimed he has been in custody for almost five years and is seeking bail mainly on the ground of prolonged incarceration. He also argued that he should be granted parity with co-accused who were recently released on bail by the Supreme Court.
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The prosecution opposed the bail request and alleged that Saifi played an active role in the alleged conspiracy. One of the allegations against him is that he sent messages in the DPSG WhatsApp group instructing members to cover police-installed CCTV cameras with black tape.
Counsel appearing for Saifi argued that even if he was associated with the protest site at Khureji, there is no evidence linking him to activities at other protest locations. The defence also contended that no communal riots took place at the Khureji protest site and that no weapons or incriminating material was recovered from him.
In earlier proceedings before the Delhi High Court, concerns were also raised about the length of prosecution submissions during the hearing of Saifi’s bail application. On February 6, 2024, the High Court expressed dissatisfaction with what it described as seemingly endless submissions by the prosecution.
The investigators have further alleged that Saifi attended a meeting at Lodhi Colony on December 26, 2019, after which the DPSG group was allegedly created on December 28, 2019.
Case Title: Tasleem Ahmed v. State and Abdul Khalid Saifi v. State (NCT of Delhi).
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