United Against Hate (UHA) member Khalid Saifi, booked in the "larger conspiracy" case regarding the 2020 North-East Delhi riots, told the Delhi High Court on Tuesday that no charges have been framed in the matter even after four years. Senior advocate Rebecca John, appearing for Saifi, submitted before a division bench of Justices Suresh Kumar Kait and Manoj Jain that three co-accused — Devangana Kalita, Natasha Narwal, and Asif Iqbal Tanha — in the case registered by the police were granted bail by the High Court in 2021. John submitted that the bail was challenged before the Supreme Court, wherein the apex court in May 2023 had not disturbed the bail order. The senior counsel said that the apex court had also said that if a co-accused is entitled to a plea on parity, it is for him to make such a plea and for the "court to consider it". "But, I can plead parity on facts. Even otherwise, I'm entitled to bail dehors the parity argument," she said. Meanwhile, special public prosecutor Amit Prasad, representing the Delhi police, took the court through certain messages on the Delhi Protest Support Group (DPSG) on WhatsApp, stating that Saifi had sent a text message on the group, wherein he had said, "ask them to put black tapes on CCTV cameras" installed by police. The bench, however, asked Prasad to show Saifi's role in the alleged conspiracy, asking him to point out the "clinching material" against him instead of going through the entire material in the matter "like it was a trial". The court orally said, "Come to his conduct and show us his role. Days together cannot be allowed in one matter. Confine your time. You say half an hour or quarter of an hour, but you are reading continuously. This much time, we will not grant. You tell us where the conspiracy is, in what manner he conspired, how was he part of the conspiracy. We have to see only on the issue of bail, whether they are entitled. One ground is parity (with co-accused out on bail) and the other is merit. If merit fails, we will see on 'parity'. If parity fails, then we will dismiss." The High Court has scheduled the next hearing on February 13, and asked the police's counsel to produce the case diary before it that day. Saifi and several others were booked under relevant provisions of the the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for allegedly being the "masterminds" of the February 2020 riots, which had erupted during the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in the city. Fifty-three people were killed and over 700 injured in the riots.
