Delhi riots conspiracy case: Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam denied bail
What's the story
The Delhi High Court has denied bail to nine accused in the 2020 northeast Delhi riots conspiracy case. The accused include former Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam. The court's decision was pronounced by a bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Shalinder Kaur. The accused had sought bail on grounds of prolonged incarceration since the trial court has yet to frame charges against them; however, their pleas were dismissed.
Legal proceedings
All accused booked under UAPA
The accused in the case are Khalid, Imam, Mohd Saleem Khan, Shifa Ur Rehman, Athar Khan, Meeran Haider, Shadab Ahmed, Abdul Khalid Saifi and Gulfisha Fatima. They have been booked under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). A separate bench of the high court had earlier dismissed another accused, Tasleem Ahmed's, bail plea in the same case.
Bail history
Khalid's prolonged legal battle
Khalid was arrested in September 2020 and has since been in jail. His first bail plea was rejected by the trial court in March 2022, and a subsequent plea to the high court was also denied in October 2022. He later appealed to the Supreme Court, which sought Delhi Police's response on his plea in May 2023. However, Khalid withdrew his SC plea on February 14, citing changed circumstances.
Legal arguments
Legal representation and arguments in court
Senior Advocate Trideep Pais argued for Khalid, saying he was part of three WhatsApp groups but didn't send messages. He said, "Merely being on....group is not any indication of anything wrong." Solicitor General Tushar Mehta opposed the bail, alleging the accused were trying to divide the nation on religious lines. Imam and Khalid are accused of being part of a larger conspiracy that led to communal violence in northeast Delhi over the Citizenship Amendment Act. The violence left 53 dead.