Supreme Court Eases Bail Condition for Delhi Riots Accused Ahead of Wedding

The Supreme Court on Friday relaxed one of the bail conditions imposed on Meeran Haider, an accused in the 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case, allowing him to report to the police station once a week instead of twice. The relief was granted ahead of his wedding, scheduled for October 17.

A Bench headed by Justice Aravind Kumar also exempted Haider from appearing at the police station on his wedding day and on October 24. Under the original condition, he was required to mark his attendance every Monday and Thursday between 10 a.m. and noon at the jurisdictional Delhi police station.

Senior advocate Siddharth Aggarwal, appearing for Haider, told the court that the twice-weekly requirement was causing considerable hardship. Since both days were working days, the condition was hampering his efforts to find employment. The court, after Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju expressed no objection, modified the condition to permit Haider to report every Saturday at the same time.

During the brief hearing, Raju remarked in a lighter vein that Haider could get married at the police station. Aggarwal objected to the comment, telling the Bench that the law officer was suggesting police stations were now equipped to conduct weddings. Raju later clarified that the remark was made only in jest.

Justice Kumar made clear at the outset that the court would not relax other restrictions in the bail order. These include a complete ban on Haider attending or speaking at any public function or rally, whether physically or virtually, until the trial concludes. He and his co-accused are also barred from circulating posts, handbills, posters or banners in electronic or physical form.

Haider was granted bail on January 5 along with activists Gulfisha Fatima, Shifa Ur Rehman, Mohd Saleem Khan and Shadab Ahmad. The court had stressed that any misuse of liberty would lead to cancellation of bail. In the same decision, it refused bail to former JNU student leader Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, who have been in custody since 2020, while allowing them to file fresh applications after the examination of protected witnesses or after a year.

The February 2020 riots in northeast Delhi erupted during protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the National Register of Citizens, leaving 53 people dead and over 700 injured. The accused were booked under the anti-terror UAPA and provisions of the Indian Penal Code for allegedly being the masterminds of the violence.