New Delhi

Ram Sugarat Paswan, who lost his son during the 2020 Delhi riots, has reacted to the Supreme Court’s decision granting bail to five accused in the case, saying that while bail may be justified for the innocent, those responsible for instigating the violence must be punished.

Speaking to ANI, Paswan said he had no objection to bail being granted if the accused were not involved in the riots, but stressed the need for accountability.

“I lost my son Nitin Paswan on February 26, 2020, during the Delhi riots. Riots had been taking place for two days before that, and on that day, shops had reopened. My son went to the market when a police bullet hit him on the head. He was taken to the hospital and admitted, but he could not survive. We have no problem if people are granted bail when they are innocent. But all those responsible for inciting the riots must be brought to justice,” Paswan said.

On Monday, the Supreme Court denied bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the case relating to the alleged larger conspiracy behind the 2020 north-east Delhi riots. However, the apex court granted bail to Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa Ur Rehman, Mohd Saleem Khan and Shadab Ahmad.

The court observed that Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam stood on a “qualitatively different footing” in terms of prosecution and evidence, noting that their roles were “central” to the alleged offences. It held that their continued incarceration, though lengthy, did not violate constitutional mandates or override statutory restrictions.

The judgment was delivered by a bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and N V Anjaria. The apex court had reserved its verdict on December 10 after hearing detailed arguments from all parties.

Earlier, on September 2, 2025, the Delhi High Court had rejected the bail pleas of nine accused, including Khalid and Imam, observing that their alleged roles in the conspiracy were “grave” and involved delivering inflammatory speeches to instigate communal mobilisation.

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Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam and others were arrested in January 2020 under provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in connection with the February 2020 riots, which erupted during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC). The violence claimed 53 lives and left over 700 people injured.