Anti-CAA Activist Gulfisha Fatima Moves Supreme Court Against Bail Rejection

New Delhi: Gulfisha Fatima, a student activist and Delhi University graduate who has spent over five years in jail under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), has approached the Supreme Court challenging the Delhi High Court’s recent decision denying her bail.

Fatima, who was arrested in April 2020 at the age of 25, is among ten anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protestors facing prolonged detention in connection with the 2020 Northeast Delhi riots conspiracy case. On September 2, 2025, the Delhi High Court rejected her bail plea, prompting her to move the apex court.

Fatima played a prominent role in organizing anti-CAA demonstrations in Delhi’s Jaffrabad area before her arrest. Though she was granted bail in May 2020 in one protest-related case (FIR 48/2020), she continues to be held in another case (FIR 59/2020), which alleges a broader conspiracy behind the communal violence that broke out in February 2020.

According to the Delhi Police chargesheet, Fatima and several others—including Sharjeel Imam, Umar Khalid, and Khalid Saifi—are accused of planning and inciting the riots. Imam has also filed a similar appeal in the Supreme Court challenging the denial of bail.

International human rights voices, including United Nations experts, had in June 2020 raised concerns about the arrests, calling them a means to suppress dissent and stifle criticism of government policies. Several rights groups, opposition leaders, and the families of the accused argue that Fatima and others have been targeted for their role in peaceful anti-CAA protests rather than any involvement in violence.

The list of co-accused includes Athar Khan, Mohd Saleem Khan, Shifa-ur-Rehman, Meeran Haider, Tasleem Ahmed, and Shadab Ahmed—most of whom have been behind bars since 2020 under the UAPA. The continued detention of these activists has drawn sharp criticism from civil society and legal experts, who argue that anti-terror laws are being misused to curb democratic dissent.

Fatima’s petition before the Supreme Court aims to overturn the High Court’s order and secure her release, renewing debate over the use of stringent laws against activists.

Source: Live Law