NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday rejected the bail plea of Shahrukh Pathan, who gained widespread attention for pointing a gun at a police constable during the 2020 Northeast Delhi riots.
Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma presided over the case, dismissing the plea and leaving Pathan to remain in jail, where he has been since his arrest four years ago.
During the hearing on Tuesday, Pathan’s legal counsel argued that since no injuries were caused during the incident and the maximum sentence he could face was ten years, he should be granted bail after already serving nearly half the potential sentence. However, the court refused to accept the reasoning, citing the charges’ gravity and the crime’s significant impact on public safety.
The charges against Pathan include rioting (Section 147), rioting armed with a deadly weapon (Section 148), unlawful assembly (Section 149), and attempted murder (Section 307) of the Indian Penal Code. The charges stem from the violence in Jafrabad, a key flashpoint during the 2020 anti-CAA protests, where Pathan’s act of pointing a firearm at a police officer was captured on video.
Despite the absence of actual injuries, the court highlighted the seriousness of Pathan’s behaviour and the strong evidence against him, including eyewitness accounts and video footage of the incident. Despite the absence of actual injuries, the court highlighted the seriousness of Pathan’s behaviour and the strong evidence against him, including eyewitness accounts and video footage of the incident.
The trial court had previously denied his bail in December 2023, and the High Court echoed this sentiment, reinforcing the stance that his actions contributed to the deadly chaos during the riots.
After the incident, Pathan fled Delhi and evaded police before being arrested by the Delhi Police Crime Branch in Shamli, Uttar Pradesh.