Delhi riots case: Supreme Court rejects bail of Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, to stay in jail
PTC Web Desk: The Supreme Court on Monday rejected the bail pleas of Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the 2020 north-east Delhi riots conspiracy case, while granting bail to five other accused, observing that Khalid and Imam were placed on a distinctly different footing due to their alleged role in the case.
Other accused, Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa Ur Rehman, Mohd. Saleem Khan and Shadab Ahmad, have been granted bail. However, the grant of bail to these accused does not show a dilution of the allegations against them. They shall be released on bail subject to 12 conditions. If conditions are violated, the trial court will be at liberty to cancel the bail after hearing the accused.
"The record shows that all accused do not stand on equal footing in terms of culpability. The hierarchy of participation requires individual assessment. This exercise does not dilute the prosecution’s case of conspiracy,” the Bench said, while dismissing the bail pleas of Khalid and Imam. The court had reserved its verdict on December 10 after hearing separate petitions filed by the seven accused.
All seven — Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa Ur Rehman, Md Saleem Khan and Shadab Ahmed — have been in custody for over five years and are booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967, along with several provisions of the Indian Penal Code.
While granting bail to the remaining five accused, the apex court clarified that Khalid and Imam stood on a “qualitatively different” plane, given the allegations that they were key figures in shaping and coordinating the conspiracy behind the violence.
The accused face charges including criminal conspiracy, sedition, promoting enmity between groups, and offences under Section 13 of the UAPA, for allegedly acting in a manner prejudicial to India’s sovereignty and public order.
The case relates to the February 2020 Delhi riots, which broke out amid protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC). The violence claimed 53 lives and left more than 700 people injured. The Delhi Police have alleged that the riots were part of a larger, pre-planned conspiracy timed during the visit of then US President Donald Trump.
During the hearings, the Delhi Police opposed the bail pleas, terming the riots an “orchestrated and well-designed” attempt to destabilise the country under the cover of protests.
- With inputs from agencies
