2020 Delhi Riots A ‘Regime Change Operation’, Say Delhi Police In Explosive Supreme Court Affidavit

Last Updated:October 30, 2025, 11:43 IST

The police claim that the “organised and calibrated” violence followed a nationwide pattern, replicating similar outbreaks in states such as UP, Assam, Bengal, Kerala & Karnataka

In a sharp rebuke to the accused, the police have also accused them of abusing the judicial process by filing “frivolous applications” and adopting coordinated tactics to delay proceedings. (PTI)

In a startling revelation in the 2020 Delhi riots case, the Delhi Police is set to tell the Supreme Court that the violence that rocked the national capital was not a spontaneous outbreak of anger but part of an organised regime change operation aimed at undermining India’s sovereignty. Sources told CNN-News18 that the revelations have been made in a 177-page affidavit that is in the process of being filed in response to bail pleas of several accused, including student activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam.

According to the police’s line of argument, investigators have pieced together ocular, documentary, and technical evidence to show that the riots were the result of a deep-rooted conspiracy engineered along communal lines. “The plan was designed to weaponise public dissent against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and strike at the sovereignty and integrity of India," the affidavit states.

The police claim that the “organised and calibrated" violence followed a nationwide pattern, replicating similar outbreaks in states such as Uttar Pradesh, Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, and Karnataka. “This was not an isolated incident but a synchronised attempt to destabilise the government through orchestrated violence," the affidavit notes.

In a sharp rebuke to the accused, the police have also accused them of abusing the judicial process by filing “frivolous applications" and adopting coordinated tactics to delay proceedings. “Such conduct amounts to a brazen abuse of process," the affidavit asserts, adding that these delays have hindered the course of justice.

The Supreme Court is now set to examine the affidavit as part of ongoing hearings on bail pleas and procedural delays in the trial.

Ananya Bhatnagar

Ananya Bhatnagar, Correspondent at CNN-News18, reports on various legal issues and cases in lower courts and the Delhi High Court. He has covered the hanging of the Nirbhaya gang-rape convicts, JNU violence, De...Read More

Ananya Bhatnagar, Correspondent at CNN-News18, reports on various legal issues and cases in lower courts and the Delhi High Court. He has covered the hanging of the Nirbhaya gang-rape convicts, JNU violence, De...

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