NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday refused to relax the bail condition of a Delhi riots accused Shadab Ahmad, an accused in the alleged larger conspiracy behind the 2020 Delhi riots, from leaving the national capital to attend law classes at a university in Ghaziabad.
A Bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and Vipul M. Pancholi declined his plea to modify the condition requiring him to remain in Delhi during the trial.
The accused, Ahmad, facing trial in connection with the 2020 Northeast Delhi riots, is currently on bail.
The counsel appearing for Ahmad told the court that he was on the “path of reformation” and had secured admission to a law course in Ghaziabad after failing to gain admission to the three-year LL.B. programme at Delhi University.
“He is on the path of reformation, my Lords. He has secured admission in a law college... He applied for a three-year course in Delhi University, but he was not able to secure admission there. He will go in the morning and come back in the evening... It is 10 km from Delhi,” the counsel submitted.
The State opposed the request in the top court and stated that the accused is facing grave charges of rioting, conspiracy and communal violence and is out on bail with conditions not to leave Delhi. Allowing daily travel to another state would dilute the bail conditions and create security concerns. It argued that online or correspondence mode is available for continuing education.
The Bench noted that the accused faced serious allegations and had been granted bail with strict conditions after considering all relevant factors. It said allowing him to attend regular classes in Ghaziabad would substantially relax the bail conditions, which was not warranted at this stage.
The Court observed that he could pursue his law studies through online classes or other modes that did not require travel. For examinations requiring physical attendance, he could approach the trial court for case-specific permission. The plea was dismissed.
