Today, On 21st November, In the 2020 Delhi Riots conspiracy case,Delhi Police told the Supreme Court that the Delhi riots were driven by a conspiracy involving chakka jams, planned violence,and an alleged plot to “choke Assam out of India,” linking the actions to organised mobilisation on ground.
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).
As the hearing began with ASG Raju, appearing for the Delhi Police, explaining how the violence unfolded. He told the Bench that the incident involved serious offences and that the main accused were already facing charges under multiple laws.
He said,
“Rioters used weapons to stones to garbage. Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam were among those named in the primary chargesheets filed in 2020 which included offences under UAPA, Arms Act and the erstwhile IPC,”
ASG Raju informed the Bench that the cognizance of the chargesheet had never been challenged by the accused. He then walked the court through the strict requirements of Section 43D(5) of the UAPA, which makes grant of bail extremely difficult when a prima facie case exists.
This section places a high threshold on courts before they can release any accused person on bail.
The focus turned to the nature of the alleged conspiracy.
Justice Aravind Kumar asked the Additional Solicitor General to spell out the specific charges included in the chargesheet.
Responding to the query, Mr. Raju said the alleged conspiracy was aimed at causing widespread violence and creating road blockades to disturb normal life.
He stated that the plan involved “chakka jams to disrupt and ‘choking Assam out of India’.”
He then showed the court a video clip that, according to him, captured a crowd carrying sticks. He explained that the rioters allegedly went to a particular area to collect sticks, tested them, and later used them during the Delhi violence.
He added that there was heavy stone-pelting at the police, and he highlighted that a policeman was lynched during the incident.
ASG Raju argued that such acts showed a clear and deliberate attempt to generate panic, disrupt law and order, and fuel large-scale violence. He maintained that, considering the seriousness of the charges and the statutory bar under UAPA, bail should not be granted.
Earlier, On 3rd November, Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Umar Khalid, told the Supreme Court that out of 751 Delhi riots FIRs, 116 cases have been tried and 97 ended in acquittals, with 17 involving fabricated documents, exposing poor investigation quality.
Previously, On 31st October Senior Advocates Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Kapil Sibal, and Siddharth Dave made strong submissions before the Supreme Court in the Delhi riots conspiracy case, arguing that the prolonged incarceration of their clients violated the principles of liberty and fairness.
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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