Delhi riots case: SC notice to Delhi police on pleas of Sharjeel Imam, Umar Khalid seeking bail
(source : ANI) ( Photo Credit : ani)
India’s Supreme Court has stepped in on the long-running bail battle for several activists linked to the 2020 Delhi riots. On Monday, a bench led by Justices Aravind Kumar and NV Anjaria issued notices to the Delhi police over pleas from Sharjeel Imam, Umar Khalid, Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, and Shifa Ur Rehman. These individuals are challenging a Delhi High Court decision that denied them bail in a major Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act—or UAPA—case tied to the alleged conspiracy behind the north-east Delhi riots.
The court has scheduled a full hearing for October 27. During the session, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi argued that his clients are students who’ve spent more than five years behind bars. The bench responded positively, saying, “Yes, we will hear you and dispose of it,” before ordering notices in all the cases.
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. A separate High Court bench also turned down bail for another accused, Tasleem Ahmed, on the same day.
Delhi police strongly opposed the bail requests, arguing that the 2020 north-east Delhi riots weren’t random outbursts but a carefully planned conspiracy with dark intentions. The High Court agreed, noting that Imam and Khalid played serious roles by giving inflammatory speeches that stirred up crowds from the Muslim community and fueled the violence.
The group is now turning to the Supreme Court for relief in this high-profile UAPA case, which stems from the deadly clashes in February 2020. Those riots broke out amid protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC), leaving 53 people dead and more than 700 injured.
Back in 2020, police arrested Imam under UAPA and labeled him a key figure in the larger plot behind the Delhi riots. The case continues to draw intense scrutiny as these students and activists fight to get out of jail after years in custody.
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