Supreme Court denies bail relief for Delhi riots accused seeking to attend Ghaziabad classes

Court Decision

The Supreme Court on Monday refused to modify a bail condition that bars Shadab Ahmad from leaving Delhi to attend law classes in Ghaziabad. A Bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and Vipul M. Pancholi declined the plea to relax the restriction requiring him to remain inside the national capital during his trial.

Court Observations

Mr. Ahmad's counsel argued that he was trying to reform himself and had joined a law course just 10 kilometres from Delhi after not getting into Delhi University. The Bench questioned why he had not approached the trial court first for this change and asked why he chose a college outside Delhi when options existed within the city. The Court ultimately allowed the counsel to withdraw the plea and dismissed it with the liberty to approach the trial court.

Background

The Court had granted bail to Mr. Ahmad along with activists Gulfisha Fatima, Shifa Ur Rehman, Mohd Saleem Khan and Meeran Haider on January 5, 2026, in the 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case under stringent conditions. In the same ruling, bail was denied to former Jawaharlal Nehru University student leaders Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam. The February 2020 riots in north-east Delhi during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of Citizens left 53 people dead and over 700 injured, with the accused booked under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.

Context

Bail conditions in high-profile criminal trials often restrict travel to ensure the accused remains within the jurisdiction of the court. Courts typically expect parties to seek modifications from lower trial courts before moving higher judicial authorities. Legal proceedings under anti-terror laws like the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act involve strict scrutiny of movement and activities.