HC rejects Athar Khan’s bail plea

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday refused to grant bail to Athar Khan in a case under the anti-terror law UAPA concerning the “larger conspiracy” behind the February 2020 riots in the city’s northeastern parts.

Observing that the accused was not entitled to bail, a bench of Justices Prathiba M Singh and Madhu Jain dismissed Athar’s appeal challenging the trial court’s January 29 order that denied him relief in the case.

Athar, a former call centre employee, is accused of being one of the main organisers of the protest at Chand Bagh in northeast Delhi and allegedly delivering inflammatory speeches there. According to the Delhi Police Special Cell, Athar allegedly participated in secret meetings in which he said that the “time has come to burn Delhi” and coordinated the destruction of CCTV cameras.

Khan was booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for being one of the “masterminds” of the February 2020 riots that had left 53 people dead and more than 700 injured. The violence erupted during protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), 2019, and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

Activists Sharjeel Imam, Khalid Saifi and Umar Khalid, among others, were also booked for their alleged involvement in the larger conspiracy case, which is being investigated by the Delhi Police’s Special Cell.