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The Supreme Court allowed bail for Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa Ur Rehman, Mohd. Saleem Khan, and Shadab Ahmad while rejecting bail pleas of Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the Delhi riots conspiracy case.
SC rejects bail plea of Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam
New Delhi: The Supreme Court rejected the bail pleas of Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam. The court stated that the prosecution material against them constituted a prima facie case. Granting them bail at this stage was not appropriate.
The court also directed that Khalid and Imam may file new bail pleas once the examination of protected witnesses is completed or one year has passed from the date of the order. The Supreme Court clarified that the prosecution's case will not be affected during this period.
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The Supreme Court also stated that all bail pleas were not considered together. The court stated that Khalid and Imam's cases were different and more serious than those of the other accused. The court stated that examining each plea independently would not weaken the conspiracy case.
The court noted that terrorist acts under the UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act) are not limited to conventional warfare, but include all acts that attack the sovereignty and integrity of the country. Based on this, the court did not consider bail for Khalid and Imam appropriate at this time.
Police claim that these accused were the main conspirators of the February 2020 violence, which claimed the lives of 53 people and injured over 700. Police stated that the violence erupted during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC), but was not solely aimed at protests; rather, it was organized to create unrest.
The violence occurred in the northeastern areas of the national capital, Delhi, in 2020. At that time, large-scale protests were underway against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of Citizens. During the protests, the situation quickly spiraled out of control, and the violence escalated tensions within local communities.
Police stated that all the accused were actively involved in planning and participating in the violence. Details of their alleged roles have been presented to the court during the investigation. Police have presented evidence and video recordings against the accused, providing a strong basis for prosecution.
