Supreme Court Denies Bail to Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam in 2020 Delhi Riots Case
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new Delhi: the Supreme Court on Monday denied bail to activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the 2020 delhi riots conspiracy case.
However, the court granted bail to activists Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa Ur Rehman, Mohd Saleem Khan, and Shadab Ahmad in the same case.
“This court is satisfied that the prosecution material disclosed a prima facie allegation against the appellants Umar khalid and Sharjeel Imam. The statutory threshold stands attracted qua these appellants.This stage of proceedings does not justify their enlargement on bail,” the court stated.
Khalid and Imam had appealed to the Supreme Court, challenging the Delhi high Court’s September 2 order last year which denied them bail in the “larger conspiracy” case related to the February 2020 riots.
What Is the 2020 Delhi Riots Case?
Communal clashes erupted in northeast Delhi on February 24, 2020, amidst widespread protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
The riots, among the deadliest in the national capital in decades, lasted for days, resulting in the deaths of over 50 people, predominantly Muslims, and leaving over 700 injured.
Twenty individuals, including Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, and former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillor Tahir Hussain, were charged with alleged involvement in a larger conspiracy to incite the riots.
What Delhi Police Said On Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam
Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam have been charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) act, 1967 (UAPA) – an anti-terror law – and provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for allegedly being the “masterminds” of the 2020 riots.
The Delhi Police opposed their bail pleas, asserting that the riots were not spontaneous but an “orchestrated, pre-planned and well-designed” attack on india’s sovereignty.
Authorities claim they acted promptly and professionally to control the law and order situation and protect life and property during the riots.
in November last year, the police informed the High Court that they had registered 757 FIRs in connection with the riots, with investigations pending in 273 cases and trials pending in 250.
What Umar Khalid Said
Umar Khalid, arrested in September 2020, submitted that he was not in Delhi when the riots broke out.
He argued that he should not be kept in jail “as if to say that I will punish you for your protests.”
Khalid, a former…