2020 Delhi Riots Case: A video captures Gulfisha Fatima, one of the accused in the 2020 northeast Delhi riots conspiracy case, walking out of Tihar Jail on Wednesday. The release came after a Delhi court issued an order, just hours after the Supreme Court granted her bail. Fatima, along with three other accused, was freed following the court’s issuance of their release orders in line with the Supreme Court’s decision.
Gulfisha Fatima, Shifa Ur Rehman and Meeran Haider were released from the Tihar jail on Wednesday night, while Mohd Saleem Khan walked out of Mandoli Jail, jail officials said.
It was an emotional reunion as Gulfisha was greeted by her relatives with garlands and sweets. Family members embraced her amid scenes of joy and relief.
The Karkardooma Court had earlier ordered the release of Gulfisha Fatima, Shifa Ur Rehman, Meeran Haider, and Mohd Saleem Khan after the Supreme Court granted them bail.
On the same day, the Delhi court issued release orders for the four accused, who had provided bail bonds of Rs 2 lakh each and two local sureties, as required by the Supreme Court. The fifth accused, also granted bail by the apex court on Monday, did not appear in court to submit their bail bonds.
Earlier, on Tuesday, the court had directed the Delhi Police to verify the documents and sureties submitted by the four accused granted bail by the Supreme Court in connection with the 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case. This led to a slight delay in their release by a day.
The court later confirmed that all bail conditions had been met and authorised their release after the Delhi Police completed the verification process for the sureties and documents.
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Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Monday had denied bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, stating that a prima facie case had been established against them under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. However, it granted bail to the other five accused, citing differences in their roles in the alleged conspiracy.
Regarding Gulfisha Fatima, the top court clarified that she had not been in a position of independent command or control over the various protest sites during the agitation against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.
The bench instructed the trial court to expedite the bail process, imposing 11 conditions, and warned that any misuse of bail would result in its cancellation.
2020 Delhi Riots Case: Background
The February 2020 riots in northeast Delhi broke out during protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC), leaving 53 people dead and more than 700 injured.
Of the 20 accused named in the case, two are still absconding and the remaining 18 had applied for bail in the case in the past.
Out of 18, seven are still in prison Salim Malik, Sharjeel Imam, Umar Khalid, former Aam Aadmi Party leader Tahir Hussain, Athar Khan, Tasleem Ahmed and Khalid Saifi.
( With Inputs from PTI )