2020 riots larger conspiracy case: HC notice to Delhi Police on bail pleas of two accused
The Delhi High Court has issued notice to Delhi Police on bail pleas of Salim Malik and Athar Khan in the 2020 Northeast Delhi riots larger conspiracy case.
The Delhi High Court has sought a response from Delhi Police on bail pleas of Salim Malik and Athar Khan. (File Photo) The Delhi High Court on Friday issued notice to the Delhi Police while hearing the bail pleas of two accused in the larger conspiracy case of 2020 Northeast Delhi riots.
Salim Malik and Athar Khan, in their bail pleas, have claimed parity with the co-accused in the case, who have been granted bail by the Supreme Court. While Malik has claimed parity with accused Mohd Saleem Khan and Shadab Ahmed, Athar has claimed parity with Mohd Saleem Khan. Both Saleem Khan and Shadab Ahmed were among the five granted bail by the SC on January 5.
According to the prosecution, Athar Khan and Saleem Khan, along with Salim Malik alias Munna, destroyed or covered government-installed CCTV cameras so that they could allegedly operate fearlessly.
On January 29, a Delhi court had denied bail to former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain, Athar Khan, and Salim Malik in the larger conspiracy case. Of the 18 people arrested in the case almost six years ago, seven still remain in jail.
The SC, while granting bail to five and refusing bail to activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, had identified a hierarchy between “architects” and “facilitators” under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act charges. The SC had rejected the pleas of Imam and Khalid, placing them in the first category, and the remaining five in the second category.
According to the Delhi Police Special Cell, Malik attended a meeting with the “conspirators” on February 22, 2020, at Chand Bagh, and delivered “provocative” speeches from the stage at the protest site. He was also allegedly responsible for managing meals and handling financial transactions at protest sites.
While Umar Khalid, Khalid Saifi, Sharjeel Imam, Tahir Hussain, Salim Malik, Athar Khan and Tasleem Ahmed remain in jail in the case, 11 others have been granted bail. They are Meeran Haider, Gulfisha Fatima, Shifa-ur-Rehman, Shadab Ahmed, Mohd Saleem Khan, Devangana Kalita, Natasha Narwal, Ishrat Jahan, Faizan Khan, Safoora Zargar and Asif Iqbal Tanha.
The “larger conspiracy” in the case, as per the prosecution, was the alleged creation of 23 protest sites, which operated 24×7 in “Muslim majority areas”, close to mosques and main roads. According to police, the 18 accused wanted to “escalate” the protest to a chakka jam “once critical mass is generated” when then US President Donald Trump visited Delhi in 2020.
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