Former JNU student leader Umar Khalid on Wednesday moved the Supreme Court challenging the Delhi High Court order that denied him bail in the UAPA case alleging a larger conspiracy behind the 2020 north-east Delhi riots.
On September 2, the Delhi High Court had refused bail to Khalid and eight others — Sharjeel Imam, Mohd Saleem Khan, Shifa Ur Rehman, Athar Khan, Meeran Haider, Shadab Ahmed, Abdul Khalid Saifi and Gulfisha Fatima. A separate bench of the High Court had on the same day rejected the bail plea of another accused, Tasleem Ahmed.
Sharjeel Imam and Fatima too have now approached the top court questioning the High Court’s findings.
Before the High Court, Delhi Police had opposed their pleas, arguing that the riots were not “spontaneous” but “planned well in advance” with a “sinister motive and well-thought-out conspiracy.”
The High Court had observed that prima facie, the role of Imam and Khalid in the conspiracy appeared “grave”, pointing to their inflammatory speeches that allegedly instigated mass mobilisation on communal lines.
Khalid has now sought bail from the apex court in the wider conspiracy case under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
Sharjeel Imam too had been arrested in 2020 under UAPA, with police describing him as the main conspirator.
The violence, which erupted during protests against the then-proposed Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC), left 53 people dead and over 700 injured.