Centre opposes Umar Khalid’s bail in SC, calls 2020 Delhi riots ‘pre-planned attack’

New Delhi: The Centre on Tuesday took a firm and uncompromising position before the Supreme Court as it opposed the bail pleas of Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, and others accused in the 2020 Delhi riots larger conspiracy case.

Appearing for the Delhi Police, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and Additional Solicitor General SV Raju described the riots not as a spontaneous burst of anger against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), but as a “well-designed, well-crafted and pre-planned attack” on the country’s social fabric and sovereignty.

‘An Orchestrated Attempt To Divide Society’: Centre To SC

Opening the arguments before a Bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and N.V. Anjaria, Mehta said that the popular perception that the riots were a natural outgrowth of anti-CAA protests needed to be “dismantled at the outset.”

According to him, the prosecution’s evidence points to a deliberate, systematic operation aimed at creating communal discord.

“This was not a spontaneous riot. It was a well-designed, well-crafted, well-orchestrated, pre-planned riot,” Mehta asserted, stressing that “speech after speech” delivered ahead of the violence showed an organised attempt to divide communities.

He added that the messaging was not restricted to constitutional dissent but revealed an intent to spark unrest.

Citing one of the instances relied upon by the prosecution, Mehta referred to Sharjeel Imam’s alleged statement hoping for a “chakka jaam in every city where Muslims reside,” arguing that such messaging underscored a coordinated strategy extending beyond Delhi.

Center Says Delay Caused By Accused 

The Solicitor General also countered the social media narrative that the accused were victims of prolonged incarceration or selective targeting.

Instead, he told the Court that the defence itself caused the delays by filing repeated applications and petitions at various stages, thereby slowing down the trial in the lower courts.

Mehta said that an “online narrative” portraying the accused as young activists being unfairly prosecuted was misleading, insisting that the legal process was primarily obstructed by the defence’s own procedural manoeuvres.

Centre strongly opposes bail pleas of Khalid, Imam and others

As the Supreme Court began hearing the bail applications moved by Khalid, Imam, Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, and Rehman, the government reiterated its resistance to their release, asserting that they played key roles as alleged “masterminds” behind the February 2020 violence.

The accused face charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and former IPC provisions for conspiracy, rioting and other offences.

ASG SV Raju supported the SG’s submissions, maintaining that the gravity of the allegations and the purported evidence recovered by investigators render the case incompatible with bail.

The government’s stand emphasised that the conspiracy was broader than public protests and involved coordinated planning through meetings, WhatsApp groups and provocative speeches.

Riots That Shook Delhi:

The February 2020 riots, which occurred amid protests against the CAA and the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC), claimed 53 lives and injured more than 700 people, marking one of the most violent communal episodes in the capital in recent decades. The hearing will continue on November 20.