Umar Khalid calls Delhi riots case 'cooked up' as court hears charges

Umar Khalid on Wednesday told a Delhi court that the Delhi Riots conspiracy case against him was entirely fabricated, alleging a systematic effort to frame him. Senior Advocate Trideep Pais, representing Khalid, said the case was based on “blatant fabrication” of evidence and claimed that witnesses had merely repeated what the investigation officer (IO) instructed them to say.

“Please see how blatant the fabrication of evidence is. Witnesses have supported whatever the IO has cooked up. If you examine the material against me, you will also conclude that this is a cooked-up case,” Pais submitted before Additional Sessions Judge Sameer Bajpai of the Karkardooma courts.

Pais further pointed out that, to date, courts have found evidence fabricated in at least 17 instances in Delhi Riots cases, and more than 90 accused across various FIRs have been acquitted, highlighting systemic lapses in the investigation.

The court is currently hearing arguments on charges in the high-profile conspiracy case linked to the delhi riots. Khalid faces the proceedings alongside co-accused Sharjeel Imam, Safoora Zargar, Natasha Narwal, Asif Iqbal Tanha, Tahir Hussain, Khalid Saifi, Isharat Jahan, Meeran Haider, Gulfisha Fatima, Shifa-Ur-Rehman, Shadab Ahmed, Tasleem Ahmed, Saleem Malik, Mohd Saleem Khan, Athar Khan, and Faizan Khan.

Arguments in the case are scheduled to continue on October 8.

Earlier during the last hearing, Pais had described the FIR against Umar Khalid in the Delhi Riots larger conspiracy case as a “joke,” highlighting that Khalid has already spent five years in custody. Khalid was arrested by Delhi Police on September 13, 2020. His recent plea for bail was rejected by a division bench of the Delhi High Court on September 2, prompting him to approach the Supreme Court, where the matter is listed for hearing on October 27.

The High Court, in its order, also denied bail to several co-accused, including Sharjeel Imam, Athar Khan, Khalid Saifi, Mohd Saleem Khan, Shifa-Ur-Rehman, Meeran Haider, Gulfisha Fatima, and Shadab Ahmed. Separately, a different bench refused bail to co-accused Tasleem Ahmed.

The court noted that, prima facie, the involvement of Khalid and Imam in the alleged conspiracy was “grave,” citing their inflammatory speeches targeting communal lines, which were seen as intended to “instigate mass mobilisation of members of the Muslim community.”

The High Court added that the trial should proceed at a normal pace, warning that a “hurried trial” could be detrimental both to the accused and to the State.

The FIR, numbered 59 of 2020, was registered by Delhi Police’s Special Cell under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.