Supreme Court Declines Gulfisha Fatima's Bail Plea, Urges Delhi High Court Review

The Supreme Court has refused to hear Gulfisha Fatima's plea for bail in the North East Delhi riots case, advising the Delhi High Court to address it on November 25. Fatima has been imprisoned for over four years, and her bail plea has faced repeated adjournments, raising questions about her liberty.

The Supreme Court has declined to intervene in the bail plea of Gulfisha Fatima, a student activist charged in connection with the 'larger conspiracy' of the February 2020 North East Delhi riots.

In a hearing on Monday, the bench of Justices Bela M Trivedi and Satish Chandra Sharma urged the Delhi High Court to consider her bail application on November 25. Fatima has been in custody for four years and seven months, with her case pending before the high court for two years.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Fatima, criticized the delayed proceedings, noting the high court has adjourned her hearings 30 times. The activist and others have been charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for allegedly orchestrating the riots, which resulted in 53 deaths and over 700 injuries during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the NRC.

(With inputs from agencies.)