Today, On 20th November, In the 2020 Delhi Riots conspiracy case, Supreme Court today watched a video of Sharjeel Imam saying “Court ko uski naani yaad aajayegi” during the hearing. ASG Raju relied on the clip to oppose the bail pleas.
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).
At the start of the hearing, Additional Solicitor General Raju informed the Bench that he had already finished arguing on the issue of parity and had moved to the point of delay. He said that there was delay even after the High Court judgment.
He also told the Bench that on several dates the counsel for the accused did not argue, and because of that the delay must be attributed to them.
ASG Raju then read from a judgment to support his point.
He told the Bench that,
“Even if the co accused is responsible for the delay the accused cant take advantage of that.”
To show further evidence, the ASG played a video of accused Sharjeel Imam in the courtroom.
In the first clip, Sharjeel Imam was heard saying,
“Sarkar choro court ko unki nani yaad aa jaye. Court kisi ki nahi hai. Triple Talaq me kya kiya inhone. Muslim mardo ko jail bhejne ki taiyari.”
(Translation: Let the government quit, the court will be made to remember their ancestors. The court belongs to no one. Look at what they did in the Triple Talaq case ,preparing to send Muslim men to jail.)
In another part of the video, Sharjeel Imam said,
“The objective of the Chakka Jaam is to stop water and milk supply in Delhi. There should be chakka jaam in all the cities where Muslims reside.”
After the video was shown, the Bench asked the ASG,
“Is it the part of the chargesheet?”
The ASG replied,
“Yes.”
The Bench then said,
“We have noted that it is just a part of the video.”
Senior Advocate Siddharth Dave, appearing for one of the accused, responded that the clip was only a micro part and added that this is all for prejudice.
After hearing both sides, the Bench said it would continue after the break, noting that “we will come back both of you are hungry.”
The court then rose for lunch and will reassemble shortly.
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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