The Delhi High Court is set to once again hear the bail pleas of four individuals accused in the 2020 Delhi riots case.

This marks the third time in two years that the case will be reheard, despite extensive arguments previously presented on behalf of the accused — Abdul Khalid Saifi, Gulfisha Fatima, Md Saleem Khan, and Shifa Ur Rehman — before two separate benches, The Indian Express reported.

In both prior instances, the presiding judges were appointed Chief Justice of other high courts before delivering a verdict.

Most recently, Justice Suresh Kumar Kait, who was presiding over the case, was appointed Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court on Wednesday (September 25), leading to the case being assigned to a new bench once again.

Earlier this month, the Supreme Court Collegium revised its recommendation, nominating Justice Kait as Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court instead of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court. The Centre approved the recommendation on September 21, and Justice Kait took his oath as Chief Justice on September 25.

Senior advocate Rebecca John, representing Saifi, expressed frustration over the repeated delays, stating, “My client was arrested in March 2020 and the court has neither framed charges against him nor commenced trial in the case. His bail plea was first filed in the HC in May 2022, and we have to now argue it for a third time all over again. This chronology itself is unconscionable. The right to a speedy trial and the right to be granted bail are constitutional rights.”