The Delhi High Court on Monday issued a notice to the city police in response to a plea filed by student activist Asif Iqbal Tanha challenging the framing of charges against him in connection with the 2019 Jamia Millia Islamia violence case.
The case pertains to violent incidents during the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests that erupted at Jamia Millia Islamia and Shaheen Bagh following the passage of the controversial law in Parliament on December 11, 2019.
On March 7, Additional Sessions Judge Vishal Singh at Saket Court had framed charges against Tanha under multiple provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including Sections 109 (abetment), 120B (criminal conspiracy), 143, 147, 148, 149 (unlawful assembly and rioting), and several other sections related to assault on public servants, grievous hurt, and property damage. Charges were also framed under Sections 3 and 4 of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act.
The trial court observed that Tanha was identified in the FIR as one of the individuals present at the scene of violence and alleged that he was leading the mob. These claims were reportedly supported by call detail records and mobile location data.
Alongside Tanha, former Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) scholar Sharjeel Imam was also charged. The court described Imam as not just an instigator but one of the “kingpins” of the alleged conspiracy to incite violence during the anti-CAA protests.
Tanha, represented by advocate Siddharth Satija, has challenged the trial court’s order, arguing that it was passed without proper application of mind or critical evaluation of the evidence. Justice Sanjeev Narula, hearing the plea, also took note of Sharjeel Imam’s similar petition against the same order and scheduled the next hearing for October 30.
Notably, Tanha is also one of the accused in the broader conspiracy case related to the 2020 Delhi riots. He was granted bail by the Delhi High Court in 2021, along with co-accused student activists Natasha Narwal and Devangana Kalita, citing prolonged pre-trial incarceration and delay in proceedings.
