Delhi HC Grants Bail To Salim Malik In 2020 Delhi Riots Conspiracy Case

The Delhi High Court on Thursday granted bail to Salim Malik in the larger conspiracy case related to the February 2020 northeast Delhi riots, giving him relief under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) nearly five years after his arrest.

A bench of Justices Prathiba M Singh and Madhu Jain allowed Malik’s appeal against a January 29 order of a trial court that had denied him bail. According to PTI, Malik’s counsel told the court he was entitled to the relief since the Supreme Court had granted bail to similarly placed co-accused Mohammad Saleem Khan and Shadab Ahmad.

Malik was arrested in June 2020 and was booked under the UAPA for allegedly being one of the “masterminds” behind the February 2020 riots in northeast Delhi. The violence broke out during protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), 2019, and the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC), leaving 53 people dead and more than 700 injured, PTI reported.

According to PTI, Malik is among 11 alleged organisers and speakers linked to an anti-CAA/NRC meeting cited in the conspiracy case.

On January 5, the Supreme Court granted bail to five accused in the case — Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa Ur Rehman, Mohammad Saleem Khan and Shadab Ahmad. The top court, however, denied relief to activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, saying “all the accused in the case do not stand on the same footing”.

Reported PTI, a bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Shalinder Kaur on September 2, 2025, had denied bail to Imam, Khalid, Haider and other co-accused in the conspiracy case.

(With inputs from PTI)