3 days ago
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The Delhi High Court connected Thursday (May 21, 2026) granted bail to Salim Mailk, who is accused of participating successful the meetings, protestation and chakka jams (transport strike) during the February 2020 riots successful the nationalist capital.
A Bench of Justices Prathiba M. Singh and Madhu Jain noted that Mr. Malik has been successful custody for much than 5 years and 10 months and the signifier of the proceedings is that arguments connected the charges are being presently heard. “Accordingly, the proceedings is going to instrumentality immoderate time. Under these circumstances, bearing successful caput the relation of the Appellant (Malik), this Court is of the presumption that the Appellant deserves to beryllium released connected bail,” it ordered.
The tribunal besides pointed retired that the relation attributed to Mr. Malik is akin to the relation attributed to co-accused Mohd. Saleem Khan and Shadab Ahmad, who person already been granted bail by the Supreme Court.
Mr. Malik was arrested successful June 2020. As per the First Information Report (FIR), helium had participated successful assorted meetings wherever helium was alleged to person conspired with different co-conspirators arsenic to the mode successful which the protestation would beryllium organised and the quality of enactment to beryllium taken by each the protesters.
Mr. Malik is besides alleged to person been contiguous astatine the protestation tract anterior to February 24, 2020, on with the different co-accused and was progressive successful giving inflammatory messages and speeches. As per prosecution, Mr. Malik is besides alleged to person participated successful the riots by carrying bricks, rods, stones, etc. The prosecution stated that helium incited clashes with the police, by participating successful a mob.
Advocate Jawahar Raja, representing Mr. Malik, argued that his lawsuit was afloat covered by the determination of the Supreme Court successful Gulfisha Fatima case. He submitted that the relation attributed to Mr. Malik is akin to the relation attributed to Mr. Saleem Khan and Mr. Shadab Ahmad, who person already been granted bail by the Supreme Court.
In the Gulfisha Fatima judgement passed connected January 6, 2026, the Supreme Court had categorised 1 acceptable of accused persons successful these matters arsenic the halfway ideological drivers of the conspiracy, and definite different accused were described arsenic section level facilitators and tract operators.
“The prosecution communicative itself delineates Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam arsenic occupying a presumption chiseled from the remaining accused, some successful presumption of conceptual engagement and bid implicit the alleged conspiracy,” the Supreme Court had said.
Mr. Khalid and Mr. Imam are attributed a cardinal relation and alleged to beryllium ideological drivers of the alleged conspiracy, placing the duo successful a antithetic footing from the remaining accused.
“The charge-sheets property to them the relation of formulating the protestation strategy, including the alleged modulation from sit-in demonstrations to chakka jams, enactment of locations, and articulation of the broader governmental nonsubjective sought to beryllium advanced. Their alleged acts are frankincense situated astatine the readying and preparatory stage, extending implicit a prolonged period,” the Supreme Court had noted.
“In contradistinction, the remaining accused namely Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa-ur Rehman, Mohd. Saleem Khan, Shadab Ahmad, Athar Khan, and others are consistently described arsenic local-level facilitators. Their alleged engagement is site-specific and operational, confined to peculiar localities specified arsenic Seelampur, Jafrabad, Chand Bagh, Jamia, and Shaheen Bagh,” it had said.
Meanwhile, Mr. Umar Khalid moved the High Court connected Thursday against a proceedings tribunal bid that dismissed his interim-bail plea to be a 40-day post-death ritual (Chehlum) of his uncle and instrumentality attraction of his mother, who has to acquisition a surgery. His entreaty is listed for proceeding connected Friday.
