2020 Delhi riots: Gulfisha, Khalid Saifi seek bail in HC in UAPA case

NEW DELHI: Student activist Gulfisha Fatima, *United Against Hate* founder Khalid Saifi, and others sought bail before the Delhi High Court on Monday in a UAPA case related to the February 2020 riots.

A bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Shalinder Kaur will hear their pleas on 6 December, along with a similar application by former JNU student Umar Khalid. The accused cited their prolonged incarceration of over four years and the improbability of the trial concluding soon.

The court has also scheduled a bail plea by Sharjeel Imam in the same UAPA case for 12 December. Khalid, Imam, and others have been charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the IPC for allegedly masterminding the riots, which left 53 dead and over 700 injured during the anti-CAA protests.

The cases are being reheard after a change in the bench. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Gulfisha, argued that her alleged associates Devangana Kalita and Natasha Narwal were granted bail in 2021, and she had no role in the riots. Rebecca John, representing Saifi, stated that he faced custodial violence, and no incriminatory material was recovered from him. She argued the trial’s delay was not attributable to the accused.

Senior advocate Salman Khurshid, appearing for Shifa-ur-Rehman, contended no evidence of violence or incriminatory acts was attributed to his client. Umar Khalid, whose earlier bail plea was dismissed in October 2022, also seeks relief. The court had previously upheld the dismissal, stating that allegations against him appeared prima facie true and that the anti-CAA protests “metamorphosed into violent riots”, allegedly orchestrated through conspiratorial meetings.

All accused were arrested in 2020, and their bail pleas, except Khalid’s, were filed in 2022. The trial is still at the stage of arguments on framing charges.