New Delhi, Sept 8 (HS): Following fellow accused Sharjeel Imam, Gulfisha Fatima has now moved the Supreme Court seeking bail in the Delhi riots conspiracy case. Both Imam and Fatima have challenged the Delhi High Court’s decision dismissing their bail pleas.

On September 2, a bench led by Justice Navin Chawla of the Delhi High Court had rejected bail applications of nine accused in the case. These include Athar Khan, Khalid Saifi, Mohammad Saleem Khan, Shifa-ur-Rehman, Meeran Haider, Gulfisha Fatima, and Shadab Ahmed.

During the High Court proceedings, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for Delhi Police, argued that those engaged in activities against the nation’s interest belong in jail. He further emphasized that the Delhi riots were not spontaneous but premeditated, asserting that such a conspiracy does not merit bail. According to him, the accused aimed to create a nationwide impact through orchestrated violence.

In defense of another accused, Umar Khalid, senior advocate Tridip Pais contended that mere membership of WhatsApp groups cited by police cannot be construed as evidence of criminal intent. He argued that while Khalid was part of three groups, he had rarely, if ever, posted messages and only once shared protest location details upon request.

The February 2020 Delhi riots, triggered during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), claimed at least 53 lives and left hundreds injured.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar