New Delhi, September 2, 2025: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday dismissed the bail plea of Tasleem Ahmed, one of the accused in a high-profile Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) case alleging a larger conspiracy behind the 2020 North-East Delhi riots. The decision was pronounced by a division bench comprising Justice Subramonium Prasad and Justice Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar.

Tasleem Ahmed was arrested on June 19, 2020, and has been in custody since then. During the hearings, the bench had previously questioned the Delhi Police on the duration an accused can remain in jail, noting that it has been five years since the riots. The verdict was reserved on July 9 after arguments from Advocate Mehmood Pracha, representing Ahmed, and Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) Amit Prasad for the Delhi Police.

Pracha highlighted the significant delay in the trial, emphasizing that his client had not sought even a single adjournment before the trial court and had concluded arguments on charges in just 10-15 minutes on a single day. Despite this, Ahmed has been in jail for five years. He argued, “Forget speedy trial, my bail application is not being heard. It is not about the trial. I am forced to… I can’t think of a better word. I am compelled to give up my rights even when arguing my bail due to the burden. That is the effect of overburdening of the system. I am making a statement at the bar that if I took even one adjournment, my bail may be cancelled.”

In response, SPP Amit Prasad contended that delay alone cannot justify granting bail under Section 43D(4) of UAPA. He further argued that the High Court cannot grant interim bail while hearing an appeal against the trial court’s rejection of bail, unless there are emergent reasons.

The case originates from FIR 59 of 2020, registered by the Delhi Police’s Special Cell under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. It pertains to an alleged conspiracy in the communal violence that erupted in North-East Delhi in February 2020, resulting in numerous deaths and injuries.

A coordinate bench of the Delhi High Court is scheduled to pronounce orders today at 2:30 PM on bail pleas filed by co-accused including Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, Mohd. Saleem Khan, Shifa ur Rehman, Shadab Ahmed, Athar Khan, Khalid Saifi, and Gulfisha Fatima.