Participating in protests no criminality, says riots accused

ONE of the accused in the 2020 Delhi riots case, Shadab Ahmed, on Thursday told the Supreme Court that mere attendance or coordination at protest gatherings cannot be equated with conspiracy or criminal intent.

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"Mere presence at a protest is not criminality. When does a protest become a conspiracy?" argued senior advocate Siddharth Luthra, appearing for Ahmed before the two-judge bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice N V Anjaria.

He questioned the prosecution's move to "fold" Ahmed into the larger conspiracy case despite no evidence of instigation or planning of violence.