The BJP on Monday welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision to refuse bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, accused under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in the 2020 Delhi riots case. Describing the outcome as a triumph of truth, “Satyameva Jayate (truth alone triumphs),” and the order as a “big slap” on the Congress’ face for supporting “poster boys” of divisive forces, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala asked the opposition party to apologise for supporting the “tukde-tukde gang”.
The Congress ecosystem was projecting them as “innocent victims” to protect them, said Poonawalla, calling the decision “Satyameva Jayate (truth alone triumphs)” and “validation” that the Delhi riots were an organised conspiracy, not spontaneous unrest.
Last week, there was a major controversy when a note for Khalid from newly sworn-in New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani went viral on social media. The handwritten note to Khalid, posted by his partner, said, “Dear Umar, I think of your words on bitterness often, and the importance of not letting it consume oneself. It was a pleasure to meet your parents. We are all thinking of you,” resulting in BJP calling Mamdani a part of an “anti-India lobby” spread globally with the support of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
Khalid and Imam had moved the Supreme Court, challenging the Delhi High Court’s order that denied them bail in the 2020 Delhi riots case. While denying them bail, the apex court held that Khalid and Imam played a “formative role” in the alleged conspiracy and therefore stood on a different footing from other accused.