Delhi High Court Rejects Bail Pleas of Jamia Leaders in 2020 Anti-Hindu Riots Case

 

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday, September 2, dismissed the bail petitions of Shifa-ur-Rehman, President of Jamia Millia Islamia’s Alumni Association (AAJMI), and Meeran Haider, a PhD scholar and RJD youth leader, both accused in the larger conspiracy related to the 2020 Delhi anti-Hindu riots.

 

A Division Bench of Justice Navin Chawla and Justice Shalinder Kaur passed the order, underscoring the seriousness of the allegations. The Court noted that the two were not merely participants but allegedly played a significant role in handling funds, mobilising protests, and maintaining direct links with the masterminds of the conspiracy. The ruling marks yet another setback for the accused, as the Court stressed that the gravity of their alleged actions could not be overlooked at this stage of the proceedings.

 

 

 

Shifa-ur-Rehman and Meeran Haider were core members of the Jamia Coordination Committee (JCC), which was constituted for mass mobilisation of the Muslim population to protest against CAA/NRC. The prosecution submitted that Shifa-ur-Rehman and Meeran Haider were responsible for setting up and managing protest sites at Jamia, Khureji, Shaheen Bagh, Hauzrani, Seelampur-Jafrabad, Turkman Gate, Kardampuri, Mustafabad, Rehman Chowk-Shri Ram Colony, Inderlok-Metro Gate No. 4 and others. To sustain and manage these sites, they were actively engaged in raising and collecting funds from various sources. They were alleged to be among the key fundraisers for the protest sites and the ensuing riots in North-East Delhi, bearing responsibility for managing, sustaining, and orchestrating Chakka Jaams at multiple locations.

 

The prosecution contended that Shifa-ur-Rehman, being the President of the Alumni Association of Jamia Millia Islamia (AAJMI), misused his position and had financed the riots to the tune of Rs 8.90 lakhs. He allegedly used fake bills of expenses in the name of AAJMI to conceal the real expenditure on riots. It was further alleged that he collected and distributed money to engage women and children to be a part of the protests so that the police would refrain from using force against them.

 

The prosecution also alleged that Meeran Haider made regular appeals on WhatsApp groups for mobilisation and Chakka Jaam and had visited various protest sites in Delhi to instigate the Muslim population to cause Chakka Jaam under the guise of protests. Furthermore, Haider was alleged to have been privy to key strategies, planning, and schemes of the main conspirators.

 

Rejecting his plea that he was the sole earning member of a large family, the Court said the evidence of his alleged involvement was too serious to be ignored.

 

The Bench observed, “We have perused the aforesaid statements, and the material placed on record. It is the case of the prosecution that the appellants played the role assigned to them in furtherance of the alleged larger conspiracy, who were managing various protest sites across Delhi and had allegedly attended various meetings of the JCC at the AAJMI office and other venues.”

 

 

 

Meeran Haider, also arrested in connection with the conspiracy, was accused of raising and spending large sums of money on managing protest sites. According to the prosecution, Haider allegedly gave money to AAJMI, where several meetings of the Jamia Coordination Committee (JCC) were held.

 

“The appellant Meeran Haider is alleged to have spent ₹2.33 lakh on riots and protest sites. He is also stated to have provided funds to the Alumni Association of Jamia Millia Islamia (AAJMI), where meetings of the Jamia Coordination Committee (JCC) were held. The appellant Shifa-ur-Rehman, as President of AAJMI, is said to have played a pivotal role. Together, they appear to have raised money in furtherance of the conspiracy.”

 

The Court’s remarks highlight the alleged financial trail and organisational links between the accused and the broader conspiracy behind the 2020 riots, underscoring why their bail pleas could not be entertained at this stage.

 

 

 

The 2020 anti-Hindu riots in Northeast Delhi, which took place between 23 and 26 February, claimed 53 lives and left more than 200 injured. Among the victims were a Delhi Police Head Constable and an Intelligence Bureau official, underscoring the intensity of the violence.

 

According to investigators, the violence was not a spontaneous outburst but the outcome of a pre-meditated conspiracy. Islamist mobs allegedly targeted local Hindus under the garb of protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

 

The Delhi Police Special Cell registered FIR 59 of 2020, invoking stringent provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) along with sections of the Indian Penal Code dealing with conspiracy, rioting, promoting enmity, and murder.

 

In addition to Shifa-ur-Rehman and Meeran Haider, the charge sheet names 17 other accused, including Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, Tahir Hussain, Khalid Saifi, Ishrat Jahan, and Gulfisha Fatima. The case continues to be one of the most closely watched trials arising out of the 2020 violence.