The Supreme Court today declined to modify the bail conditions imposed on 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case accused Shadab Ahmad, who sought permission to travel to Ghaziabad to attend law classes. However, the court allowed him to approach the trial court to seek a remedy.
A bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and Vipul M Pancholi was hearing Ahmad’s application seeking relaxation of the condition barring him from leaving the National Capital Territory of Delhi without prior permission of the trial court.
Ahmad’s counsel told the bench that he had secured admission to a three-year law course in Ghaziabad and was seeking to pursue his education as part of his “reformation”. He said classes had commenced in August, and Ahmad was falling behind, adding that he would travel in the morning and return by evening.
However, Justice Kumar questioned whether Ahmad had first approached the trial court and refused to relax the conditions.
“Go tell the trial court. This we will not modify… We know why you have joined that law college, leaving out all the law colleges inside Delhi,” the judge said.
When the counsel submitted that the trial court could not modify the attendance condition imposed by the Supreme Court, the bench maintained its position. The counsel subsequently sought permission to withdraw the application.
Earlier, on January 5, Ahmad was granted bail along with co-accused Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa-ur-Rehman, and Mohd Saleem Khan. A Delhi court subsequently ordered his release on January 8. However, he was not allowed to leave Delhi without prior permission, attend rallies or public meetings, or circulate posters, banners, or campaign material through physical or digital platforms.
To recall, Ahmad, along with other accused, were student activist associated with protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act in 2019 and 2020. They have been facing charges under sections of the UAPA and the IPC for allegedly conspiring to orchestrate the communal riots in Delhi in February 2020.
(With inputs from ANI)
