Delhi Riots Case: Activists Call for Fair Trial Five Years On

Quick Summary

• A public meeting held at Mumbai marathi Patrakar Sangh on September 16, 2025, renewed calls for a fair trial for student leader Umar Khalid and others jailed under UAPA in connection with the February 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case.
• Organised by Umar ke Dost and Hum Bharat Ke Log, the event featured speakers like Swara Bhaskar, Banojyotsna Lahiri, filmmaker Anand Patwardhan, activist Feroze Mithiborwala, Fahad Ahmad (NCP), and Hasina Khan of Bebaak Collective.
• Speakers argued that cases against Umar Khalid were efforts to suppress movements like the anti-CAA-NRC protests. Activist Guddi S.L. criticized unlawful detentions while Ms. Lahiri alleged stalled trials for five years despite initial bail granted by Delhi high Court to other accused in related cases.
• Swara Bhaskar highlighted systemic delays in legal proceedings and drawn-out incarcerations as a “denial of normal life,” referencing activists Stan Swamy and G.N. Saibaba.
• The supreme Court recently adjourned hearings on bail petitions filed by Mr. Khalid until September 19 after earlier bail applications had been denied by lower courts alleging conspiratorial violence disguised as protests.

Indian Opinion Analysis

The prolonged detention of individuals implicated in high-profile protest-related controversies raises important concerns about systemic delays within India’s judicial framework. While maintaining security is critical for safeguarding democracy against potential misuse of constitutionally protected rights such as protest, such lengthy incarcerations without trial risk undermining public faith in due process.

Speakers’ repeated emphasis on constitutional guarantees signals an active engagement with democratic values through nonviolent methods-a contrast possibly marking evolving strategies in civil contestation post CAA-NRC debates. The adjournments may reflect procedural challenges but also underline demands for expeditious legal scrutiny to uphold justice equitably across groups involved regardless of their ideology or affiliations.

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