The Delhi High Court on Tuesday refused to grant bail to Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, Gulfisha Fatima and seven others in the 2020 riots ‘larger conspiracy’ case.
A division bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Shalinder Kaur rejected the bail pleas of nine — Sharjeel, Umar, Gulfisha, Athar Khan, Abdul Khalid Saifi, Mohd Saleem Khan, Shifa ur Rehman, Meeran Haider, and Shadab Ahmed.
Notably, Saifi, Gulfisha, Md Saleem Khan and Shifa ur Rehman had completed arguments for bail twice earlier before the Delhi HC, before two different benches. However, the judges, after being appointed as Chief Justices of other High Courts, did not deliver their verdict. The four accused argued for bail a third time before Justices Chawla and Kaur.
Another division bench of Justices Subramonium Prasad and Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar also rejected the bail of Tasleem Ahmed.
In open court, it pronounced that his “appeal is dismissed”. A detailed order is awaited.
Tasleem was arrested in April 2020 in another case and was then arrested in the ‘larger conspiracy case’ by the Delhi Police Special Cell in June 2020.
In March 2022, a sessions court in Karkardooma had rejected his bail plea. The trial court had primarily referred to statements by protected witnesses to prima facie conclude that allegations against Tasleem are true.
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He had again moved a bail plea, which a sessions court in Karkardooma rejected a second time in February 2024. He sought bail primarily on the ground of parity with other co-accused who were released on bail.
Eighteen people accused in the case are facing allegations of pre-planned conspiracy to allegedly cause riots in Northeast Delhi between February 23 and 25, 2020, with offences registered under the IPC, Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act (PDPP) Act, Arms Act, and the UAPA.
An FIR was registered by the Delhi Crime Branch in March 2020. The investigation is being undertaken by the Special Cell.
Among the 18 accused, activist Safoora Zargar was released on bail in June 2020 and another accused, Faizan, was granted bail in October 2020.
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Three other activists — Natasha Narwal, Devangana Kalita, and Asif Iqbal Tanha — were granted bail in June 2021 by the Delhi HC. Former Congress councillor Ishrat Jahan was granted bail in this case in March 2022.
Another accused, Saleem Malik, was refused bail by the Delhi HC in April 2024. Former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillor Tahir Hussain too remains in custody in this case.
Sohini Ghosh is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express. Previously based in Ahmedabad covering Gujarat, she recently moved to the New Delhi bureau, where she primarily covers legal developments at the Delhi High Court
Professional Profile
Background: An alumna of the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), she previously worked with ET NOW before joining The Indian Express.
Core Beats: Her reporting is currently centered on the Delhi High Court, with a focus on high-profile constitutional disputes, disputes over intellectual property, criminal and civil cases, issues of human rights and regulatory law (especially in the areas of technology and healthcare).
Earlier Specialty: In Gujarat, she was known for her rigorous coverage in the beats of crime, law and policy, and social justice issues, including the 2002 riot cases, 2008 serial bomb blast case, 2016 flogging of Dalits in Una, among others.
She has extensively covered health in the state, including being part of the team that revealed the segregation of wards at the state’s largest government hospital on lines of faith in April 2020.
With Ahmedabad being a UNESCO heritage city, she has widely covered urban development and heritage issues, including the redevelopment of the Sabarmati Ashram
Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025)
Her recent reporting from the Delhi High Court covers major political, constitutional, corporate, and public-interest legal battles:
High-Profile Case Coverage
She has extensively covered the various legal battles - including for compensation under the aegis of North East Delhi Riots Claims Commission - pertaining to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, as well as 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
She has also led coverage at the intersection of technology and governance, and its impact on the citizenry, from, and beyond courtrooms — such as the government’s stakeholder consultations for framing AI-Deepfake policy.
Signature Style
Sohini is recognized for her sustained reporting from courtrooms and beyond. She specialises in breaking down dense legal arguments to make legalese accessible for readers. Her transition from Gujarat to Delhi has seen her expand her coverage on regulatory, corporate and intellectual property law, while maintaining a strong commitment to human rights and lacuna in the criminal justice system.
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