2020 Delhi riots: SC to hear bail pleas of Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam on Monday

The Supreme Court will hear bail pleas of Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, and others in the 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case today, after the Delhi High Court earlier denied them bail.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court is set to hear the bail pleas of former JNU students Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, along with Meeran Haider and Gulfisha Fatima, in connection with the 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case on Monday.

During a brief hearing on Friday, counsel for one of the accused requested a postponement of the proceedings. The two-judge bench of Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice N.V. Anjaria accepted the request and rescheduled the hearing for Monday.

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The matter was earlier listed for September 12 but was deferred to September 19 after Justice Kumar informed the court that he had received the case files at 2:30 a.m., leaving insufficient time for review. Senior advocates Kapil Sibal, Dr. Abhishek Manu Singhvi, and C.U. Singh are representing the petitioners.

The bail applicants face charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in a case linked to the alleged larger conspiracy behind the communal violence that rocked North-East Delhi in February 2020.

The Delhi High Court had earlier, on September 2, denied bail to Imam, Khalid, and seven others, including Meeran Haider, Gulfisha Fatima, Athar Khan, Shifa-ur-Rehman, Mohd Saleem Khan, Shadab Ahmed, and Khalid Saifi. Another accused, Tasleem Ahmed, was denied bail by a separate bench.

Delhi Police have strongly opposed the bail applications, claiming the riots were not spontaneous but the result of a premeditated and coordinated conspiracy. According to police, the accused played active roles in orchestrating the violence with a “sinister motive.”

The High Court, while rejecting bail, observed that the involvement of Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam appeared “serious” at the prima facie stage. It pointed to speeches allegedly delivered by them, which, according to the court, were communal in nature and intended to mobilize large crowds.

The 2020 violence erupted amid nationwide protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC). The unrest resulted in 53 deaths and left more than 700 injured. Sharjeel Imam was arrested in 2020 under UAPA and has been accused of playing a central role in inciting the violence.