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A Delhi court on Wednesday granted five-day custody parole to human rights activist Shifa Ur Rehman, allowing him to contest and campaign for the upcoming state assembly elections.
Rehman, the former president of the Alumni Association of Jamia Millia Islamia (AAJMI), is an undertrial prisoner in the 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case.
Additional Sessions Judge Sameer Bajpai, who was hearing Rehman’s plea for interim bail of four weeks, directed his release from January 30 to February 3 for 12 hours each day. The court set a security deposit of ₹2.07 lakh for the parole period.
Although Rehman’s case is distinct from that of co-accused Mohammad Tahir Hussain, the judge noted that the Supreme Court had recently granted only custody parole, not interim bail, to Hussain.
“When the Supreme Court has declined interim bail to the co-accused and granted only custody parole, this court should also follow the same,” the judge stated.
Rehman, who is contesting from the Okhla constituency on an All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) ticket, has been strictly instructed not to comment on his pending cases during his campaign, speeches, or press conferences. AIMIM, led by Asaduddin Owaisi, recently announced his candidacy for the upcoming Delhi assembly elections.
A prominent figure in the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests, Rehman was arrested under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and other IPC sections for allegedly being a key conspirator in the 2020 Delhi riots.
The violence, which left 53 people—mostly Muslims—dead and many injured, has been linked to a broader conspiracy, according to investigators.
The arrest of Rehman and other activists has drawn international attention. On June 26, 2020, several United Nations experts called for their release, stating that their detention appeared to be aimed at silencing dissent.
They remarked that the arrests sent “a chilling message… that criticism of government policies will not be tolerated.”
With the court’s decision, Rehman will now have limited freedom to campaign for his election bid while remaining under legal scrutiny.
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