'Our actions wrongly linked to violence'

Activists Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam and Gulfisha Fatima, accused in the larger conspiracy case related to the 2020 North East Delhi riots, told the Supreme Court on Friday that they did not make any calls for violence and were only exercising their constitutional right to peaceful protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

- Agencies

Appearing before a Bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and NV Anjaria, the petitioners argued that their actions were wrongly linked to the violence that broke out in the capital.

Khalid’ counsel told the Court that he was not even present in Delhi when the riots took place. “Petitioner was not even in Delhi when the riots took place. If I am not there, how can the riots be connected to it,’ Khalid’ counsel said.

Imam’s lawyer maintained that his speeches had been misinterpreted and insisted that his client had only advocated peaceful protests. “I abhor violence. No calling out for violence at all. Only peaceful protests,” Imam’s lawyer submitted.

Fatima, too, distanced herself from any acts of violence, asserting that none of the protest sites she was associated with had seen such incidents.