NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday denied bail to Athar Khan, accused of being one of the masterminds of the February 2020 riots along with Umar Khalid and others. The court said that his role in causing deaths and destruction of private and public property was prima facie established.
A bench of justices Prathiba M Singh and Madhu Jain said that the evidence showed that while others on a WhatsApp group chat suggested non-violent protests, Khan persisted with his objective of engaging in violent protests, to the extent of even causing deaths.
“The fact that deaths were caused during the said riots cannot be, therefore, a mere matter of coincidence... Despite his teammates repeatedly asking him not to engage in violence, the appellant refused to obey the same.
The Appellant, therefore, cannot be held to be a mere local-level operator but one of the main conspirators who conspired to cause deaths during the riots,” the bench said. It added that Khan was also a flight risk and was likely to adversely influence the witnesses whose evidence is yet to be recorded.
“The appellant, owing to his role and the protection that needs to be given to witnesses, is not entitled to bail,” the bench said.