'American Lawmakers Supported Bail': ASG SV Raju's Stinging Attack on Mamdani After SC Denies Bail to Umar Khalid in Delhi Riots Case

New Delhi: Additional Solicitor General (ASG) of India for the Supreme Court SV Raju, who led the 2020 Delhi Riots case in the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court welcomed the apex court's decision to deny bail to the prime accused Sharjeel Imam and Umar Khalid.

In an interview with Republic Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami, he revealed the real motive of the accused.

“CAA a facade, real motive was pan-India regime change… They felt like they could have a mass moment, something similar to Bangladesh,” he said.

“You have to pay for your crime when you are anti-national or a terrorist. The court does not favour anti-national activities,” he said about the message conveyed by the Supreme Court judgement.

He further revealed that although the case dates back to 2020, the delay in the judgement has been triggered by the accused.

“The law has not been delayed by itself. In this case, the delay was triggered by the accused. You might be sure you won’t get bail, so you delay the trial,” Raju said.

Unveiling more details about how a regime change was planned and pointing at New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's support for Umar Khalid's bail, he said, “American lawmakers supported the bail. The so-called regime change might have been engineered from outside. It remains in a realm of suspicion otherwise why would American lawmakers be interested in a case in India. There are other cases also. Why have they not said anything about any other case? They have not read the earlier judgement of the High Court, they have not read the case papers, they have not seen the evidence, they don't know what the Indian law is. If these people were in India, they would have probably been hauled up for contempt of court. "

American Lawmakers' Support for Umar Khalid

Zohran Mamdani wrote a letter of support to Umar Khalid, an accused in the North East Delhi riots larger Conspiracy case.

After Mamdani, eight other US lawmakers have written a joint letter urging the government to grant Umar Khalid a fair and timely trial in line with international law.

Ranking Member of the House Rules Committee and Co-chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, Democrat Jim McGovern, who represents the 2nd District of Massachusetts, and seven other lawmakers penned the letter addressed to India's Ambassador to the US-Vinay Kwatra.

As per the letter, McGovern and others had met Umar Khalid's parents earlier in December.

In a post on X, McGovern said, "Earlier this month, I met with the parents of Umar Khalid, who has been jailed in India for over 5 years without trial. Representative Raskin and I are leading our colleagues to urge that he be granted bail and a fair, timely trial in accordance with international law."

In the letter the US Lawmakers say, "Umar Khalid has been detained without bail for 5 years under UAPA, which independent human rights experts have warned may contravene international standards of equality before the law, due process and proportionality...India must uphold the rights of individuals to receive a trial with reasonable time or to be release and be presume innocent until proven guilty...We request that your government share steps taken to ensure that judicial proceedings against Khali and co-accused who remain in detention comport with international standard."

Others who signed the letter are, Congressman Jamie Raskin, Senator Chris Van Hollen, Senator Peter Welch, Congresswoman Pramila Jaypal, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky and Congressman Llyod Doggett.

The letter follows another message from Zohran Mamdani penned a note remembering Khalid and his meeting with Khalid's parents.

The note was shared on social media by Khalid's partner Banojyotsna.

In the note, Mamdani said, “I think of your words on bitterness often, and the importance of not letting it consume one's self. It was a pleasure to meet your parents. We are all thinking of you.”

SC Denies Bail to Umar Khalid & Sharjeel Imam

The Supreme Court on Monday denied bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in a case pertaining to an alleged larger conspiracy behind the 2020 north-east Delhi riots.

However, the SC granted bail to Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa Ur Rehman, Mohd. Saleem Khan and Shadab Ahmad.

The Court noted that Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam stand on a "qualitatively different footing" both in terms of prosecution and evidence.

It noted that their roles were "central" to the alleged offences. As regards these two, though the period of incarceration is continued and long, it does not violate the Constitutional mandate or override the statutory embargo under the laws.

Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam and others were arrested in January 2020 under the stringent provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in the Delhi riots case in February 2020.

The violence had erupted during the protests against the then-proposed Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) and had left 53 people dead and over 700 injured.

Also Read: 'Need Stricter Laws on Provocative Speeches': Father of Minor Killed During 2020 Delhi Riots