The Supreme Court of India has postponed the bail pleas of Sharjeel Imam, Umar Khalid, Gulfisha Fatima, and Meeran Haider to September 19. These activists are challenging a Delhi High Court decision that denied them bail in the high-profile UAPA case tied to the 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy.
A bench led by Justices Aravind Kumar and NV Anjaria made the call on Friday. They explained that the case files arrived late the previous night, leaving no time to review everything properly.
This comes after the Delhi High Court rejected bail for Imam, Khalid, and seven others—Mohd Saleem Khan, Shifa Ur Rehman, Athar Khan, Meeran Haider, Shadab Ahmed, Abdul Khalid Saifi, and Gulfisha Fatima—on September 2. In a separate ruling that same day, another High Court bench turned down bail for accused Tasleem Ahmed.
Delhi Police strongly opposed the bail requests. They argued that the 2020 northeast Delhi riots weren’t just random violence but a carefully planned conspiracy with a dark motive. The police pointed to evidence of advance plotting.
The High Court noted that Imam and Khalid seemed to play major roles in the plot. It highlighted their inflammatory speeches that stirred up communal tensions and mobilized crowds from the Muslim community.
Umar Khalid approached the Supreme Court for bail under the tough Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), which targets terrorism and unlawful activities. Sharjeel Imam was arrested by Delhi Police in 2020 and labeled a key conspirator in the riots case.
The riots broke out amid protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC). The violence claimed 53 lives and injured over 700 people in northeast Delhi.
This ongoing legal battle keeps the spotlight on the 2020 Delhi riots case, one of India’s most debated UAPA prosecutions. Stay tuned for updates as the Supreme Court hearing approaches on September 19.
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