Communal Riots

No evidence linking me to 2020 Delhi riots violence: Umar Khalid tells SC

Seeking bail in the UAPA case linked to February 2020 riots in Delhi, activist Umar Khalid on Friday told the Supreme Court that there is no evidence linking him to violence and denied conspiracy charges against him. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Khalid, told a bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and N V Anjaria that there has been no recovery of funds, weapons or any material evidence linking him to the 2020 Delhi riots. "There are 751 FIRs, I am charged in one, and if it's a conspiracy, it's a bit surprising! "If I (Umar Khalid) conspired riots. On dates in which riots took place, I was not in Delhi," Sibal said and added that no funds, weapons and physical evidence connecting me to violence have been found yet. "No witness statement actually connects petitioner to any act of violence," he pointed out. Sibal submitted that Khalid is entitled to bail on grounds of parity, noting that fellow activists Natasha Narwal, Devangana Kalita and Asif Iqbal Tanha were granted bail

Clashes during idol immersion trigger arson in Cuttack; internet suspended

According to a Government of Odisha circular, a prohibition has been imposed on the use and access of social media platforms, including WhatsApp, Facebook, and X, until 7 PM on Monday

Delhi riots: SC defers hearing on bail pleas of Khalid, Sharjeel to Sept 22

The Supreme Court on Friday adjourned to September 22 the hearing on bail pleas of activists Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, Gulfisha Fatima and Meeran Haider in the UAPA case related to the alleged conspiracy behind the February 2020 riots in Delhi. A bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and Manmohan deferred the pleas. The activists have challenged a September 2 Delhi High Court order which denied bail to nine people, including Khalid and Imam, saying "conspiratorial" violence under the garb of demonstrations or protests by citizens could not be allowed. Besides Khalid and Imam, those who faced bail rejection are Fatima, Haider, Mohd Saleem Khan, Shifa Ur Rehman, Athar Khan, Abdul Khalid Saifi and Shadab Ahmed. The bail plea of another accused, Tasleem Ahmed, was rejected by a different high court bench on September 2. The high court said the Constitution affords citizens the right to protest and carry out demonstrations or agitations, provided they are orderly, peaceful and without arms

Delhi riots case: SC defers bail pleas of Umar Khalid, others to Sept 19

The Supreme Court on Friday adjourned to September 19 bail pleas of activists Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, Gulfisha Fatima and Meeran Haider in the UAPA case related to the alleged conspiracy behind the February 2020 riots in the national capital. A bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and N V Anjaria said it received the files very late. The activists have challenged the September 2 Delhi High Court order which denied bail to nine persons, including Khalid and Imam, saying "conspiratorial" violence under the garb of demonstrations or protests by citizens couldn't be allowed. Those who faced bail rejection include Khalid, Imam, Fatima, Mohd Saleem Khan, Shifa Ur Rehman, Athar Khan, Meeran Haider, Abdul Khalid Saifi and Shadab Ahmed. The bail plea of another accused Tasleem Ahmed was rejected by a different high court bench on September 2. The high court said the Constitution affords citizens the right to protest and carry out demonstrations or agitations, provided they are orderly, peac

Umar Khalid calls 2020 riots FIR a 'joke', alleges evidence fabrication

Activist Umar Khalid on Thursday opposed the framing of charges in the 2020 Delhi riots "larger conspiracy" case and told a Delhi court that he has spent five years in custody in this "joke of an FIR". He alleged that evidence was fabricated to implicate him. The arguments on framing of charges were being held before Additional Sessions Judge Sameer Bajpai. Khalid's counsel, senior advocate Trideep Pais, said, "I have spent five years in custody in this joke of an FIR. This FIR doesn't have the sanctity of law." The case is being investigated by Delhi Police's Special Cell. Pais said the FIR, in which the prosecution claimed that 51 innocent people died, was unnecessary as these deaths are being probed separately. "The deaths of those people are being investigated by 751 different FIRs," the senior counsel said. He alleged that the prosecution initially decided to implicate a person and then targeted him by fabricating documents and filing the chargesheet. "You first decide 'is

Delhi 2020 riots: High Court to hear Sharjeel Imam's bail plea on July 9

The Delhi High Court would on July 9 hear the bail plea of activist Sharjeel Imam in a February 2020 riots case. A bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Shalinder Kaur was scheduled to hear the plea on Tuesday, but it adjourned the matter after the prosecution sought time. The accused's counsel had previously informed the court that Imam was "completely disconnected" with the place, time and co-accused persons, including Umar Khalid. His speeches and WhatsApp chats never called for any unrest, he had argued. The bail plea claimed that the accused was not even in the capital post January 15, 2020 and was arrested by the police from his hometown in Bihar on January 28, 2020 in a separate case. As a result, Imam did not part take in any of the "conspiratorial" meetings with others, it claimed. Khalid, Imam and several others were booked under stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and IPC provisions for allegedly being the "masterminds" of the February 2020 riots, which

2020 Delhi riots: Court acquits 12 in murder, criminal conspiracy charges

A court here has acquitted 12 men accused of murdering two persons during the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, saying there was no evidence on the record to show that any of them was a member of the culprit mob. Additional Sessions Judge Pulastya Pramachala, who was hearing two cases registered by the Gokalpuri police station against the men, observed that the WhatsApp chats of one of the accused, Lokesh Kumar Solanki, confessing to the two murders were not "substantive evidence". According to the chargesheets, the victims, Aamin and Bhure Ali, were killed by rioters and their bodies were thrown into drains on February 25 and 26, 2020, respectively. In two orders dated March 28, the court said that the prosecution's evidence about the messages being exchanged by the accused confessing to the murders in a WhatsApp group could not be used as substantive or primary evidence. "Such posts may be put in the group solely to become a hero in the estimation of other members of the group. It coul

Six SC judges to visit relief camps in violence-hit Manipur on March 22

NALSA said that the proposed visit of judges highlights the ongoing need for legal and humanitarian assistance to the affected communities of the violence-hit state

13 held for violence in MP's Mhow after stone-pelting at CT victory rally

Clashes broke out in the Mhow town of Madhya Pradesh's Indore district on Sunday after a rally celebrating the Indian cricket team's ICC Champions Trophy final victory was allegedly pelted with stones, locals said. Indore collector Ashish Singh, when asked, said the situation was under control and forces had been deployed in the area. "How it happened will be ascertained later. As of now, the situation is under control," he said. The incident sparked panic in multiple areas of the town, with several vehicles torched, the locals said. A group of young cricket enthusiasts had organised a rally to celebrate India's final victory against New Zealand. However, as they approached the Jama Masjid area, a large group of individuals began hurling stones at them, leading to chaos and forcing them to abandon their motorcycles and flee, the locals said. In the aftermath, some people set fire to a number of the abandoned motorcycles, further escalating tensions, they said. Local authorities

Delhi riots: Shahrukh Pathan granted interim bail for father's ailment

He is accused of aiming a pistol at police constable Deepak Dahiya during the 2020 Northeast Delhi riots and has been in custody since March 3, 2020

Delhi riots: Court grants custody parole to Shafa ur Rehman to campaign

A Delhi court on Wednesday granted five days custody parole to February 2020 riots accused Shafa ur Rehman to contest and campaign for the upcoming state assembly elections. Additional sessions judge Sameer Bajpai who was hearing Rehman's interim bail plea for four weeks, directed his release from January 30 to February 3 for 12 hours each day upon a deposit of Rs 2.07 lakh as security expenses. "Although the present case and the case in which the co-accused Mohammad Tahir Hussain has been granted custody parole by the Supreme Court are altogether different, still when the Supreme Court has declined the interim bail of the co-accused and only granted custody parole to him, this court should also follow the same, the court said. Rehman, contesting on a AIMIM ticket, was further ordered not to comment on his pending cases in his campaign, speech or press conferences. The Asaduddin Owaisi-led All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) announced Rehman as its candidate for the Okh

UP's Sambhal riots: 4 dead, internet suspended, here's what we know so far

The Sambhal violence broke out over a court-mandated survey of the Mughal-era Jama Masjid which stemmed from a petition filed by a lawyer claiming the existence of a Hindu temple

Delhi riots case: SC declines activist's bail plea, directs HC to consider

The Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain the plea of student activist Gulfisha Fatima seeking bail in a case of "larger conspiracy" behind the North East Delhi riots of February 2020, and asked the Delhi High Court to consider her plea on November 25. A bench of Justices Bela M Trivedi and Satish Chandra Sharma noted that she has been in custody for four years and 7 months in the case. The bench said her petition for bail, which is pending before the high court, should be heard on November 25 unless there are some extraordinary circumstances. The top court told senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Fatima, that the high court has not been hearing her case and the matter is being adjourned on one pretext or another. He said the high court adjourned the matter 24 times as the presiding judge was on leave and six times the matter was adjourned for other reasons. "This is a question of liberty. Her case is being adjourned on one pretext or other. She has been in jail for

Umar Khalid completes 4 years in jail, still awaits for trial in UAPA case

Former JNU student and activist Umar Khalid has completed four years in jail after being arrested in connection with the 2020 northeast Delhi communal riots. Communal clashes had broken out in northeast Delhi on February 24, 2020, after violence between supporters of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and those against the legislation spiralled out of control, leaving at least 53 people dead and around 200 injured. Khalid was in December 2022 acquitted in a case related to alleged rioting, vandalism and arson at a parking lot in February 2020 but remains incarcerated in the second case under the anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and provisions of the Indian Penal Code for allegedly being a mastermind of the riots. The 36-year-old researcher and scholar was arrested on September 13, 2020. While charge-sheets were filed in 2020 and 2022, the framing of charges has been delayed in this case and his attempts to seek bail have been turned down by courts. He has al

Internet suspended in Udaipur after school stabbing sparks communal tension

Mobile internet was suspended for 24 hours in several areas of Udaipur and all schools were ordered to remain closed after a class 10 student stabbed another boy at a government school, triggering communal violence in the city. The student who was injured in the attack is undergoing treatment at the district hospital while the accused is under detention. Both of them are minor, officials said. All government and private schools in Udaipur have been ordered to remain shut until further orders in view of the law and order situation, Collector Arvind Poswal said. A team of three doctors has been sent from Jaipur to Udaipur by a special plane for the treatment of the injured boy, the collector said, adding that his condition was stable. Divisional Commissioner Rajendra Bhatt issued an order suspending mobile internet services for a period of 24 hours from 10 pm on Friday in Udaipur city, Bedla, Badgaon, Bleecha, Debari, Eklingpura, Kanpur, Dheekli and Bhuwana area. The collector appe

No need to teach about riots, demolition in schools: NCERT director Saklani

Rejecting accusations of saffronisation of school curriculum, NCERT's director has said that references to Gujarat riots and Babri masjid demolition were modified in school textbooks because teaching about riots "can create violent and depressed citizens." In an interaction with PTI editors at the agency's headquarters here on Saturday, National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) director Dinesh Prasad Saklani said the tweaks in textbooks are part of annual revision and should not be a subject of hue and cry. Asked about references to Gujarat riots or Babri masjid demolition being tweaked in NCERT textbooks, Saklani said, "Why should we teach about riots in school textbooks? We want to create positive citizens not violent and depressed individuals". "Should we teach our students in a manner that they become offensive, create hatred in society or become victim of hatred? Is that education's purpose? Should we teach about riots to such young children ... when they gr

HC grants student activist Sharjeel Imam bail in Delhi communal riots case

More than four years after he was arrested, the Delhi High Court on Wednesday granted bail to student activist Sharjeel Imam in connection with a 2020 communal riots case involving allegations of sedition and unlawful activities. Imam had assailed a trial court order refusing to release him even though he had undergone more than half of the maximum sentence that could be awarded to him, if convicted. He claimed he was entitled to bail under the criminal statute. "Appeal is allowed," a bench of Justices Suresh Kumar Kait and Manoj Jain said after hearing the counsel for Imam and the Delhi Police. He will, however, stay behind bars as he has not been granted relief in the case involving alleged larger conspiracy behind the 2020 North East Delhi riots which left more than 50 people dead and hundreds of others injured. According to the prosecution, Imam made speeches at Jamia Millia Islamia on December 13, 2019 and at the Aligarh Muslim University on December 16, 2019 where he threaten

NewsClick founder infused funds from China to stoke Delhi riots: Police

The Delhi Police has told a court here that NewsClick founder and editor-in-chief Prabir Purkayastha infused funds from China into India to stoke and sustain the 2020 Delhi riots, carry out disinformation campaign on Covid-19, stoke the farmer's protest and indulge in outright terror funding in Kashmir. Police made the allegations in its charge sheet filed before Additional Sessions Judge Hardeep Kaur, who took cognisance of it on Tuesday. The charge sheet alleged that Purkayastha used to give salaries to many employees of activist Teesta Setalvad. It said the role of another activist Gautam Navlakha's role in the present case was under probe. The final report alleged that Navlakha has been a shareholder of the NewsClick and his role has also emerged in the testimonies of the protected witnesses as being one of the conduits for the finance and supplies of arms and ammunition for a banned Naxal outfit. The charge sheet cited the statement made by NewsClick human resource (HR) head a

LS polls: Congress accuses PM of attempting to create communal polarisation

Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his controversial speech at an election rally a day ago, the Congress on Monday accused him of attempting to create communal polarisation for electoral gains. AICC general secretary in-charge of organisation K C Venugopal said Modi made statements that were not befitting the post of Prime Minister. He alleged that the Prime Minister was quoting something that wasn't there in the Congress manifesto and that he was attempting to create "communal polarisation" in the country for electoral gains. Taking a jibe at Modi, Venugopal said Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge has sought an appointment with the Prime Minister to "educate him" about the party manifesto. The Congress stepped up its attack on Modi after he suggested that if the Congress comes to power, it would redistribute people's wealth to Muslims and cited former PM Manmohan Singh's remark that the minority community had the first claim on the country's resources. Addressing a rally

Sedition case: HC seeks Delhi Police stand on Sharjeel Imam's bail plea

The Delhi High Court on Monday sought the stand of the city police on student activist Sharjeel Imam's plea seeking bail in connection with a 2020 communal riots case involving allegations of sedition and unlawful activities. A bench of Justices Suresh Kumar Kait and Manoj Jain issued a notice to the Delhi Police on Imam's appeal against a trial court order rejecting his bail application. The counsel appearing for the accused said the trial court wrongly refused to grant him bail even though he has undergone more than half of the maximum sentence that can be awarded to him in case of a conviction. As per the prosecution, Imam made speeches at Jamia Millia Islamia on December 13, 2019, and at the Aligarh Muslim University on December 16, 2019, where he threatened to cut off Assam and the rest of the northeast from the country. Imam was booked in the case registered by the Delhi Police's Special Branch. The case was initially registered for the offence of sedition and section 13 of t