NEW DELHI: Meeran Haider, one of the accused in the alleged conspiracy behind the 2020 Delhi riots, asserted before the Delhi High Court on Wednesday that he had no role in any meetings or plans that led to the violence. His lawyer argued that Haider’s name was falsely added without any clear evidence linking him to the conspiracy.
The argument was made during a bail hearing before Justices Navin Chawla and Shalinder Kaur. Haider’s lawyer said he was never part of the DPSG WhatsApp group, which the police claimed played a role in organising the unrest. Also, none of the messages flagged by the police were sent by Haider.
The lawyer added that Haider was not present at any secret meetings in Chand Bagh or Seelampur, as per the prosecution’s own records. No witness has said Haider attended those gatherings.
The court was also told that no CCTV footage or photo showed Haider at any scene where others were seen with weapons. Arms were recovered from co-accused persons, but nothing was found from Haider, nor is there any allegation of violence directly linked to him.
Similar arguments were made by the lawyers for co-accused Shifa-ur-Rehman and Mohd. Saleem Khan. Senior Advocate Salman Khurshid said Rehman was at the Hauz Rani protest only to show moral support, not to incite violence. Khan’s lawyer said there was no evidence against him, no violent action, and no proof of funding.