Delhi Court Grants Custody Parole To Activist Shifa Ur Rehman For Election Campaign

A Delhi court on Wednesday granted five days of custody parole to human rights activist and former Alumni Association of Jamia Millia Islamia (AAJMI) president, Shifa Ur Rehman, allowing him to campaign for the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections.

Rehman, who is currently in judicial custody for his alleged role in the 2020 Delhi violence conspiracy case, will be released under strict conditions.

Additional Sessions Judge Sameer Bajpai ruled that Rehman would be permitted to step out from January 30 to February 3, for 12 hours each day, upon furnishing ₹2.07 lakh as security expenses. The court made this decision while considering his plea for four weeks of interim bail, ultimately opting for custody parole instead.

The judge noted the similarity between Rehman’s request and the case of Mohammad Tahir Hussain, another accused in the Delhi riots case. Since the Supreme Court had denied interim bail to Hussain and granted only custody parole, the Delhi court decided to follow the same approach for Rehman.

“Although the present case and the case in which the co-accused Mohammad Tahir Hussain has been granted custody parole by the Supreme Court are altogether different, still when the Supreme Court has declined the interim bail of the co-accused and only granted custody parole to him, this court should also follow the same,” the order stated.

Rehman, who is contesting from the Okhla constituency on an All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) ticket, has been specifically directed not to make any statements about his pending cases during his campaign, including in speeches and press interactions.

The AIMIM, led by Asaduddin Owaisi, had recently announced his candidature for the Delhi Assembly elections.

A vocal critic of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), Rehman was a key figure in the anti-CAA protests. He, along with several other activists and student leaders, was arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and charged with multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for allegedly being part of a “larger conspiracy” behind the 2020 Delhi riots, which resulted in 53 deaths and numerous injuries, primarily among Muslims.

The case has drawn international concern. On June 26, 2020, multiple United Nations (UN) experts issued a statement urging the release of Rehman and others, expressing concerns that their arrests were intended to “send a chilling message… that criticism of government policies will not be tolerated.”

With the court’s ruling, Rehman now has a limited window to campaign while remaining under legal scrutiny. His case continues to be closely watched, both domestically and internationally.

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