2020 Delhi riots: Separate bench of Delhi High Court rejects bail plea of accused Tasleem Ahmed

Delhi High Court

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday dismissed the bail plea of Tasleem Ahmed, an accused in the UAPA case concerning the alleged larger conspiracy behind the 2020 North-East Delhi riots.

The order was pronounced by a division bench comprising Justice Subramonium Prasad and Justice Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar. A separate bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Shalinder Kaur also rejected the bail pleas of former Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam and seven others.

Ahmed's case was separated from others on the request of his counsel.

In his plea, Ahmed maintained that he was only an anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protester but was arrested on terror charges on June 24, 2020. He urged the Court to release him bail on the grounds of prolonged custody and delay in the trial proceedings.

Appearing for Ahmed, Advocate Mehmood Pracha argued that the trial court is still at the stage of hearing arguments and that his client should be released on bail, citing parity with co-accused Natasha Narwal, Devangana Kalita and Asif Iqbal Tanha, who have already been granted bail.

Opposing the plea, Special Public Prosecutor Amit Prasad contended that the delay in the trial was attributable to the accused's conduct, not the prosecution's. He further submitted that Ahmed was an active participant in the broader conspiracy that culminated in the Delhi riots.

The Court, after considering the submissions, declined to grant relief and dismissed Ahmed's bail plea.

Ahmed is among several accused named in FIR No. 59/2020, lodged by the Delhi Police Special Cell under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The case pertains to an alleged pre-planned conspiracy to trigger the 2020 North-East Delhi riots in the backdrop of protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

Also read: 2020 Delhi riots: Delhi High Court denies bail to Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam and seven others