A Delhi court on Tuesday rejected the bail plea filed by Mohammad Saleem Khan in a case related to communal violence in the city in February 2020, PTI reported.

The case pertains to the alleged larger conspiracy that caused the violence in North East Delhi in February. Khan is one of the 18 accused in the case who have been booked under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in the case.

Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat passed the judgement after hearing submissions from Advocate Mujeeb ur Rehman, who appeared on behalf of Khan and Special Public Prosecutor Amit Prasad, according to Live Law.

The court also deferred orders for the second time on the bail plea of co-accused Meeran Haider to March 25, and that of Sharjeel Imam to March 26.

In his judgement, Rawat said that allegations against Khan appear to be prima facie true.

He held that even as Khan’s counsel alleged that statements of witnesses against his client are either false, contradictory or coerced, the court believes they have to be taken at face value and tested later during cross-examination.

“The statements of the witnesses...show sufficient incriminating material against the present accused Saleem Khan,” he wrote in the order. “Hence, the present application for bail of accused Mohd. Saleem Khan stands dismissed.”

After Tuesday’s verdict, Rehman told Scroll.in that he was shocked by the judgement.

He said that while he was waiting for a detailed order by the judge, it seemed that the court “overruled facts” and “prioritised allegations” which were not substantiated in the chargesheet by police.

“Not a single accusation can be proved by evidence in the chargesheet,” he said, adding that he would prepare to move the Delhi High Court for bail soon.

Khan’s elder brother, Suleiman Khan, said the family was heartbroken.

“We did not expect this. Compared to others who got bail what evidence did they [prosecution] have against him,” he said.

Khan’s daughter Saima said: “We are worried about him. The last time we spoke about it he had said that since the date was being pushed back, it could mean that we would get bail. He was hopeful.”

The 49-year-old had earlier been granted bail in two other cases related to the riots, including the murder of a Delhi Police head constable Ratan Lal.

Communal violence had broken out between the supporters of the Citizenship Amendment Act and those opposing the law in North East Delhi between February 23 and February 26, 2020. The violence claimed 53 lives and hundreds were injured. The majority of those killed were Muslims.

The Delhi Police claim that the violence was part of a larger conspiracy to defame Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government and was planned by those who organised the protests against the amended Citizenship Amendment Act. They also claimed the protestors had secessionist motives and were using “the facade of civil disobedience” to destabilise the government.