Delhi Riots Larger Conspiracy Case: Court Asks Police To Verify Sureties Of Four Accused Granted Bail, Release Likely Today

A Delhi Court on Tuesday asked the Delhi Police to verify the sureties and documents submitted by of four out of the five accused granted bail by the Supreme Court in relation to the 2020 North-East Delhi riots larger conspiracy case.

Additional Sessions Judge Sameer Bajpai accepted the bail bonds of Rs. 2 lakh each, along with two local sureties of like amount, furnished by accused Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa Ur Rehman and Mohd Saleem Khan.

The judge yesterday directed the Delhi Police to verify the documents by today, when the matter is listed again for hearing. Their release orders are expected to be passed today.

Notably, Shadab Ahmed, the fifth accused granted bail, did not appear before the trial court yesterday to furnish bail bonds.

On January 05, the Supreme Court granted bail to the five accused in question, while imposing 11 conditions on them, including prohibitions on attending rallies or public meetings and on circulating posters, banners or other campaign material in any form.

They were directed go execute a personal bond in the sum of Rs. 2 lakh, with two local sureties of the like sum to the satisfaction of the Trial Court.

They have been specifically barred the accused from participating in any public meetings or gatherings and from circulating posts, handbills, posters or banners, whether physically or through electronic or digital platforms.

However, the Top Court refused to grant bail to co accused Sharjeel Imam and Umar Khalid, observing that the materials showed a prima facie case against them under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.

The accused, who were student activists in the forefront of organising anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protests in 2019-2020, are facing charges under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and the Indian Penal Code for allegedly formulating the "larger conspiracy" behind the communal riots which took place in the national capital in the last week of February 2020.

The accused in the case are Tahir Hussain, Umar Khalid, Khalid Saifi, Isharat Jahan, Meeran Haider, Gulfisha Fatima, Shifa-Ur-Rehman, Asif Iqbal Tanha(granted bail in 2021), Shadab Ahmed, Tasleem Ahmed, Saleem Malik, Mohd. Saleem Khan, Athar Khan, Safoora Zargar(granted bail on humanitarian grounds as she was pregnant when arrested), Sharjeel Imam, Faizan Khan, Devangana Kalita (granted bail) and Natasha Narwal(granted bail).