I'll stop saying Salaam if illegal: Khalid Saifi in court

New Delhi: United Against Hate founder and Delhi riots accused Khalid Saifi told a Delhi court that he will stop addressing people with greeting "As-salamu alaykum" in case it had been made illegal as he always greets his friends with that salutation, during a hearing on Friday pertaining to the "larger conspiracy" behind the February riots.

Before Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat, Khalid referred to the arguments made by the prosecution during the bail hearing of co-accused Sharjeel Imam where the prosecutor argued that since Imam began all his speeches with the said salutation, he was addressing a particular community and not the masses in general.

"I always greet my friends with salaam. I think I'll have to stop in case it's illegal," Saifi said. However, the court, in response, told him that the same was an argument made by the prosecution and not the court's word. Saifi added: "I'll file a case in the NGT when I'll be out on bail because the Delhi Police has wasted two million of precious papers on this chargesheet".

During the hearing, bailed accused and Pinjra Tod members Natasha Narwal and Devangana Kalita, through their Advocate raised the issue regarding their application which sought supplying a copy of electronic evidence against them. "We moved this application in April. Five months have passed, we haven't received a reply yet. Where is the scope of Section 207 application if there is no speedy redressal?" asked Advocate Adit Pujari.

Special Public Prosecutor Amit Prasad submitted that the volume of data sought was huge containing personal data of people from whom equipment had been seized. "...investigating agency called various people and they were interrogated, their mobiles were seized...the volume of data is huge...contains personal data of people whose equipments have been seized. If I'm to supply all that data without any distinction, I'll be infringing their privacy as it contains their personal data," SPP Prasad said.

Advocate Mattoo argued that the prosecution's arguments should be taken on record. "In the Supreme Court they have said that we have delayed the trial," she submitted. On this, ASJ Rawat asked: "Is there any direction by the Supreme Court in this case?" To which, the counsel responded in the negative but added that the prosecution has not complied with another judgement which said that the list of documents had to be supplied.

The prosecution also argued on an application that had been moved by another co-accused Asif Iqbal Tanha where he sought a clone copy of his mobile phone. SPP Prasad submitted that the same cannot be given as it is with the FSL.

Advocate Sowjhanya Shankaran, on behalf of Tanha, submitted, "Today when they filed three chargesheets, there is at least 65 odd pages which they claim they have recovered from my phone...this isn't a privacy issue, this is material already relied on. It's their bounden duty to provide me this," the counsel said.

Eventually, the court asked the prosecution to inform it about the status of the FSL report on the next date of hearing. The matter will not be heard next on September 30.