The Delhi High Court on Tuesday denied bail to Athar Khan, one of those accused of being part of an alleged larger conspiracy to spark riots in the national capital in 2020, Live Law reported.

Khan was arrested in July 2020 under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, and has been in jail for six years.

A division bench comprising Justices Prathiba M Singh and Madhu Jain said that on a preliminary reading, Khan’s role “in causing death and violence as also the destruction of private and public property” had been established, The Indian Express reported. The court also said that statements of protected witnesses indicated that he could be a flight risk.

“The Appellant is also likely to adversely influence the witnesses whose evidence is yet to be recorded,” the court said, according to Live Law. “Thus, even if the normal conditions of bail are applied, in this case, the Appellant, owing to his role and the protection that needs to be given to witnesses, is not entitled to bail.”

On May 26, the High Court had, while reserving its order, verbally observed that the WhatsApp chats of Khan prima facie proved a conspiracy to spark violence.

Communal violence erupted in North East Delhi in February 2020 during clashes between supporters of the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act and those protesting against it. The riots claimed 53 lives and left hundreds injured, with most of those killed being Muslims.

The Delhi Police have alleged that the violence was part of a larger conspiracy to defame the Narendra Modi government and was orchestrated by individuals involved in the protests against the amended citizenship law.

Several accused are facing charges under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, the Arms Act, and various provisions of the Indian Penal Code.

Edited by Neerad Pandharipande.