IN AN UNJUST SOCIETY, THE ONLY PLACE FOR A JUST MAN IS PRISON: Open Letter to the Chief Justice of India
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Rishi Anand
Sep 5, 2025, 2:47:36 AM (yesterday) Sep 5
to Socialist Party
The Hon'ble Chief Justice of India
Supreme Court of India
New Delhi
Today, Delhi High Court dismissed the bail pleas filed by Umar Khalid, Gulfisha Fatima, and seven others, in the 2020 Delhi riots “larger conspiracy” case. Umar Khalid has been incarcerated in prison since 13 September 2020, and will soon complete five years in jail. In the meantime, the trial in the case hasn't even started.
Over the five years, from the trial courts to the Supreme Court, we have seen Umar Khalid being repeatedly denied justice. We have seen a mala fide investigation by the Delhi Police to manufacture a conspiracy and frame dissenters. We have seen the actual instigators, including a Union Minister, who incited hatred and promoted violence against peaceful protesters, enjoy indemnity. We have seen numerous prisoners of conscience being stripped off their rights and imprisoned for years without conviction or even a trial. We have seen a mockery of the principle of “bail is the rule, jail is the exception.”
The unjust incarceration of Umar Khalid, and countless others, is a shameful blot on the judiciary of India. It is an affront to the rule of law and justice. It is an insult to our struggle for freedom against tyranny, and values enshrined in the Constitution of India. It is an assault against our constitutional right to protest.
Like Umar Khalid, I was a part of the 2019 Citizenship Movement. I wrote, spoke, and organized protests against the unjust and communal amendment to the citizenship law, which was my duty as a follower of Mahatma Gandhi. Over the last five years, I have been a part of countless movements. I have been a part of the farmer's movement, labour movement, and the movement of students and youths. And, I will continue to fight against all forms of injustice.
Every day, Umar Khalid is kept in prison is an insult to the nation and its values I believe in. It is an insult to the Constitution of India, which has become unofficially prorogued. It is an insult to my own conscience to remain free, if not of the judiciary's to allow this injustice.
I urge you to take cognizance of the injustice against Umar Khalid, Gulfisha Fatima, and others, and allow them to be free. If that is not possible, kindly extend the same rule to me, and allow me to be imprisoned. If the judiciary cannot ensure liberty of thought, expression, belief, then it must at least ensure equality before law.
Rishi Anand,
A Citizen of India,
Patna, Bihar
Supreme Court of India
New Delhi
Today, Delhi High Court dismissed the bail pleas filed by Umar Khalid, Gulfisha Fatima, and seven others, in the 2020 Delhi riots “larger conspiracy” case. Umar Khalid has been incarcerated in prison since 13 September 2020, and will soon complete five years in jail. In the meantime, the trial in the case hasn't even started.
Over the five years, from the trial courts to the Supreme Court, we have seen Umar Khalid being repeatedly denied justice. We have seen a mala fide investigation by the Delhi Police to manufacture a conspiracy and frame dissenters. We have seen the actual instigators, including a Union Minister, who incited hatred and promoted violence against peaceful protesters, enjoy indemnity. We have seen numerous prisoners of conscience being stripped off their rights and imprisoned for years without conviction or even a trial. We have seen a mockery of the principle of “bail is the rule, jail is the exception.”
The unjust incarceration of Umar Khalid, and countless others, is a shameful blot on the judiciary of India. It is an affront to the rule of law and justice. It is an insult to our struggle for freedom against tyranny, and values enshrined in the Constitution of India. It is an assault against our constitutional right to protest.
Like Umar Khalid, I was a part of the 2019 Citizenship Movement. I wrote, spoke, and organized protests against the unjust and communal amendment to the citizenship law, which was my duty as a follower of Mahatma Gandhi. Over the last five years, I have been a part of countless movements. I have been a part of the farmer's movement, labour movement, and the movement of students and youths. And, I will continue to fight against all forms of injustice.
Every day, Umar Khalid is kept in prison is an insult to the nation and its values I believe in. It is an insult to the Constitution of India, which has become unofficially prorogued. It is an insult to my own conscience to remain free, if not of the judiciary's to allow this injustice.
I urge you to take cognizance of the injustice against Umar Khalid, Gulfisha Fatima, and others, and allow them to be free. If that is not possible, kindly extend the same rule to me, and allow me to be imprisoned. If the judiciary cannot ensure liberty of thought, expression, belief, then it must at least ensure equality before law.
Rishi Anand,
A Citizen of India,
Patna, Bihar
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