2020 Delhi riots case: Gulfisha Fatima walks out of Tihar jail
New Delhi (PTI): Gulfisha Fatima, one of the accused in the 2020 northeast Delhi riots conspiracy case, walked out of Tihar Jail on Wednesday, hours after a Delhi court issued her release orders following bail from the Supreme Court, jail sources said.
The remaining three accused, for whom the release orders were issued early Wednesday, are also expected to be freed once all procedural formalities are completed.
Earlier in the day, a Delhi court issued release orders for the four accused after they furnished bail bonds of Rs 2 lakh each with two local sureties, as directed by the Supreme Court. The fifth accused, who was also granted bail by the apex court on Monday, did not appear before the court to furnish bail bonds.
The court noted that all bail conditions had been complied with and passed the orders for their release after Delhi Police submitted verification reports of the sureties and documents.
The Supreme Court had on Monday denied relief to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, observing that a prima facie case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act was made out against them, but granted bail to the five accused, citing a hierarchy of participation.
With regard to Fatima's case, the top court said she did not exercise independent command, resource control, or strategic oversight over multiple protest sites during the agitation against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.
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"The allegation that Gulfisha Fatima mobilised local women and coordinated protest-site logistics, though relevant to the prosecution's case, does not presently disclose that she exercised independent command, resource control, or strategic oversight over multiple protest sites.
"The prosecution itself asserts that directions were conveyed to her by others higher in the asserted hierarchy. In these circumstances, this court finds that the level of attributed agency and control does not justify continued incarceration once the investigative purpose stands substantially fulfilled," the bench said.
Directing the trial court to expedite the process of bail, the bench had imposed 11 conditions and said the misuse of liberty would attract the cancellation of the bail.
The February 2020 riots in northeast Delhi broke out during protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC), leaving 53 people dead and more than 700 injured.
Of the 20 accused named in the case, two are still absconding and the remaining 18 had applied for bail in the case in the past.
Out of 18, seven are still in prison -- Salim Malik, Sharjeel Imam, Umar Khalid, former Aam Aadmi Party leader Tahir Hussain, Athar Khan, Tasleem Ahmed and Khalid Saifi.
The Supreme Court of this country cruelly stole this moment of joy from us but you walk out with your head held high bringing us so much pride, courage and hope! Gulfisha Fatima ♥️ you are our joy
— Safoora Zargar (@SafooraZargar) January 7, 2026
Wish I could have been there to embrace you into a warm welcome. pic.twitter.com/1UprAC1iFq
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Nine dead as fire breaks out in residential building in east Delhi
New Delhi (PTI): A fire broke out in a residential building in east Delhi's Vivek Vihar early Sunday, leaving nine people belonging to two families dead, including a toddler, officials said.
The incident was reported around 3.48 am at a four-storey building in Vivek Vihar Phase-I, following which police, fire and disaster management teams rushed to the spot.
According to the police, the blaze engulfed flats on the second, third and fourth floors of the building, prompting a large-scale rescue operation.The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.
The Delhi Fire Service (DFS) said nine charred bodies were recovered from different floors.
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"One body was recovered from the first floor, five from the second floor and three from the staircase which was found locked," the DFS officer said.
Those found dead on the second floor have been identified as Arvind Jain (60), his wife Anita Jain (58), son Nishant Jain (35), daughter-in-law Anchal Jain (33) and grandchild Akash Jain.
On the third floor, three members of a family were found dead. They were identified as Nitin Jain (50), wife Shailey Jain (48) and son Samyak Jain (25).
On the first floor a woman identified as Shikha Jain (45) was found dead while her husband Naveen Jain (48) sustained injuries.
A senior police officer said, "Around 10 to 15 people were rescued from the premises during the firefighting operation. Two of them, who sustained minor injuries, were shifted to the Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital."
A total of 12 fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the flames, while teams from the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), traffic police and local police assisted in the rescue and evacuation efforts.
Police said the fire was brought under control after several hours. Efforts are underway to determine the cause of the fire, police said.
Further investigation and proceedings are underway.
