Court rejects Khalid Saifi's plea for release or re-issuance of his mobile phone number

New Delhi: A court here on Thursday rejected a plea of United Against Hate founder Khalid Saifi, seeking the use of his mobile phone number. The phone was seized during the investigation of Saifi's role in the alleged conspiracy behind the 2020 northeast Delhi riots.

The court said the mobile phone and the SIM card could not be released as those contained "information relevant to the case." It also said the issuance of a duplicate SIM could "result in data like WhatsApp being deleted or obstructed."

"The mobile phone of the applicant, Khalid Saifi, and the SIM card ... have been seized by the investigating officer (IO) in the present case and they contain information relevant to this case. Thus, the said mobile or the SIM card cannot be released to the applicant," Special Judge Amitabh Rawat said.

"Moreover, the issuance and usage of a duplicate SIM card by the wife of the accused can result in data like WhatsApp being deleted or obstructed. Hence, this court is not inclined to allow the application," he added.

In his plea, Saifi had said due to the seizure of the SIM card, his family faced difficulties in accessing essential services for routine transactions.

Countering the argument, the IO said essential services can be availed through an alternative phone number by changing the number with the service provider.

The said number was connected to many WhatsApp groups and persons who "conspired for the commission of the crime in the present case," he said.