2020 riots: Supreme Court seeks Delhi Police response on Saifi’s bail plea

Saifi has sought parity with the top court’s January 5 order granting bail to Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa-ur-Rehman, Mohd Saleem and Shadab Ahmed

The Supreme Court on Wednesday sought a response from the Delhi Police on a bail plea filed by 2020 Delhi riots accused Abdul Khalid Saifi, even as it observed that his role cannot be treated on a par with the other five accused who were granted bail by the top court last month.

The Delhi high court order, refusing bail to Saifi, had underlined his key role in the alleged conspiracy to incite riots. (HT Archive)

A bench of justices Aravind Kumar and PB Varale issued notice on the petition moved by Saifi, founder of the United Against Hate campaign, challenging the September 2, 2025, order of the Delhi High Court denying him bail along with Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) scholars Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam.

Saifi sought parity with the top court’s January 5 order granting bail to Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa-ur-Rehman, Mohd Saleem and Shadab Ahmed, while denying bail to him, Khalid and Imam.

Saifi filed his plea earlier this month, claiming that he deserved bail as his speeches, which are alleged to have instigated the riots, did not result in any physical violence at the places where they were delivered.

The bench remarked, “If you are claiming bail seeking parity with our judgment (of January 5), we will straightaway say no.”

The court further doubted the argument that his speech did not result in any physical violence. “If violence does not take place at the place where you gave the speech, that does not mean riots have not taken place. 153 persons were killed, and do you know how many of them were policemen?”

Advocate Rajat Kumar, appearing with advocate Yash S Vijay, informed the bench that recently the top court had agreed to hear the bail plea of another accused, Tasleem Ahmed, linked to the larger conspiracy case related to the 2020 Delhi riots.

As the court has issued notice in that matter and scheduled a hearing on April 4, the bench admitted Saifi’s petition with a direction to hear both matters together.

The high court order refusing bail to Saifi had underlined his key role in the alleged conspiracy.

Based on the prosecution case, the high court noted that he was the organiser and creator of protest sites at Khureji, Karawal Nagar, Kardam Nagar and Nizamuddin.

He allegedly delivered provocative speeches intended to incite people on communal lines and is accused of sending a message through common WhatsApp groups in February 2020 instructing people to cover CCTV cameras installed by the police with black tape. Further, the Delhi Police alleged that Saifi raised funds for managing the protest sites and also received money for the procurement of firearms.

The Delhi Police had claimed that the riots were instigated to effect a “regime change” and were deliberately timed around the visit of US President Donald Trump in February 2020 to show the country in poor light globally.