Delhi Police to SC: ‘2020 riots were attack on sovereignty of the nation’
new delhi: Strongly opposing the bail pleas of activists Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam and others in the February 2020 riots in the city, Delhi Police told the Supreme Court on Tuesday that it was not something spontaneous but an “orchestrated, a pre-planned, and a well-designed” attack on the sovereignty of the nation.
Khalid, Imam, Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider and Rehman were booked under the anti-terror law and provisions of the erstwhile IPC for allegedly being the “masterminds” of the riots, which left 53 people dead and over 700 injured.
The violence erupted during the protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for Delhi Police, told a bench of justices Aravind Kumar and N V Anjaria that there was an attempt to divide the society on communal lines and it was not merely an agitation against Citizenship (Amendment) Act.
Mehta argued that it is a “myth” that it was a spontaneous riot after the CAA/NRC protests and referred to a speech of Imam in which he allegedly said that Muslims, who are 30 per cent of the population, are not able to unite in an armed rebellion.
“First of all, that myth to be busted. This was not a spontaneous riot. It was a well designed, well crafted, well orchestrated, pre-planned riot. That will emerge from the evidence collected...
“Speech after speech, statement after statement, there was attempt to divide the society on communal lines. It was not merely an agitation against some act.
“Sharjeel Imam says it’s his heartfelt wish for ‘chakka jaam’ for every city where Muslims reside. Not just in Delhi,” Mehta submitted.
The Solicitor General said a narrative is being built on social media that something very serious is going on with young people. However, the accused themselves are responsible for the delay in trial.
“We are ready to complete the trial in six months. For every charge filed, the accused will argue for five years. On facts, these accused do not deserve to be released, so they delay the trial to gain a ground for bail,” Mehta submitted.
He said photograph collected from the accused themselves, shows all of them are sitting together hatching the conspiracy.
The Supreme Court continued hearing bail pleas in the 2020 Delhi riots UAPA case, with the ASG opposing relief and arguing earlier bail orders cannot be treated as
precedents. with agency inputs
