A Delhi court on Thursday granted six days of interim bail to 2020 Delhi riots accused Khalid Saifi to attend family functions scheduled this month.
Additional sessions judge Sameer Bajpai was hearing the bail application filed by Saifi, the founder of United Against Hate, who sought two weeks of interim bail to attend weddings of his niece and nephew. The court allowed him to attend the family events.
In its order, the court said, "The Barat and Nikah of the nephew of the applicant will take place on April 16, 2026 and the Nikah of the niece and reception of both his niece and nephew will be on April 19, 2026, and as these functions are important, the court can grant the desired relief to the applicant for attending these functions only."
Special Public Prosecutor Anirudh Mishra opposed the bail, saying the accused had been misusing the process of court.
"The applicant obtained interim bail previously on two occasions i.e. on October 13, 2025 and then again on January 29, 2026 on the same grounds i.e. marriage ceremony in the family and cannot be allowed to take this liberty again and again," he said.
The court noted that some ceremonies mentioned in the application, such as Haldi, Bhat and Challa rituals, did not require Saifi's presence. However, it allowed him to attend the Nikah ceremonies and reception on April 16 and 19.
The court granted interim bail on a personal bond of Rs 20,000 with one surety of the same amount.
It directed Saifi not to leave the Delhi-NCR region during the bail period, to keep his mobile phone switched on, and not to contact prosecution witnesses or the media.
Communal clashes broke out in northeast Delhi on February 24, 2020, after violence between Citizenship (Amendment) Act supporters and protesters escalated, leaving at least 53 dead and around 700 injured.
According to an FIR at Jagat Puri police station, a mob had assembled in Masjidwali Gali in Khureji Khas area of northeast Delhi on February 26, 2020.
The crowd refused to obey police orders and assaulted personnel, and someone "fired a gunshot" at head constable Yograj. The prosecution said Saifi and former Congress councillor Ishrat Jahan had instigated the "unlawful assembly."