The Delhi High Court order of 2 September rejecting the bail pleas of nine activists – Sharjeel Imam (2044 days), Khalid Saifi (2015 days), Meeran Haider (1980 days), Gulfisha Fatima (1972 days), Shifa Ur Rehman (1955 days), Umar Khalid (1815 days), Athar Khan, Mohd Saleem Khan and Shadab Ahmed – who have been unjustly incarcerated for years is a travesty of justice. These young leaders and activists have been jailed under fabricated charges by the Delhi Police, without a shred of credible evidence.

The so-called “larger conspiracy,” as termed by the police in the case, actually lies in the nexus between the police and right-wing Hindutva groups. The communal polarisation openly fanned by BJP leaders like Kapil Mishra, and the silence and complicity of the Delhi Police, represent the true conspiracy behind the February 2020 violence. Instead of holding the real culprits accountable, the state has chosen to persecute those who stood up against communal violence and led democratic protests against the unconstitutional CAA-NRC.

Their prolonged incarceration is a political conspiracy to silence dissenting voices and intimidate movements that resist the communal and authoritarian agenda, and the failure of the judiciary to stand in defence of civil liberties reflects the serious erosion of democratic institutions in the country.

We hope the Supreme Court will take cognisance of this injustice and travesty, and uphold the fundamental right to liberty.

Stop this travesty of justice. 

Release India’s prisoners of conscience.