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 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.
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.
Story continues below this ad
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.
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.
X (Twitter): @thanda_ghosh ... Read More
