2020 Delhi riots: SC defers hearing on bail pleas of Umar Khalid, others

The Supreme Court observed that the Delhi Police had sufficient time to respond, adding that in bail matters, filing additional replies is unnecessary despite a request for two more weeks

The Supreme Court on Monday criticised the Delhi Police for not filing its reply to the bail pleas of student leaders Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, Gulfisha Fatima and three others in the 2020 Delhi riots case, according to a report by Bar and Bench.

 

Noting that the top court had made it clear the matter would be decided on Monday, a Bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and NV Anjaria said the police had already been given enough time to respond. “In bail matters, there is no question of filing replies. We gave sufficient time,” the SC Bench told Additional Solicitor General (ASG) SV Raju, when he requested two more weeks to file the response.

 

Next hearing on Friday

The judges asked Raju to be ready to argue the case “tomorrow or the day after,” but he continued to seek more time. Noting that the accused have already spent five years in jail without trial, the Supreme Court fixed the next hearing for Friday.

 

Senior lawyers Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing the accused, opposed the Delhi government’s request for more time. When the case itself is about delay, there can be no more delay, Singhvi argued.  ALSO READ | Umar Khalid calls 2020 riots FIR a 'joke', alleges evidence fabrication

2020 Delhi riots

The student leaders challenged the Delhi High Court’s September 2 order, which denied them bail. The Supreme Court had issued notice to the Delhi Police on September 22 in the matter.

 

The Northeast Delhi riots took place in February 2020, during protests over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). The violence left 53 people dead and hundreds injured.

Multiple cases against Khalid

According to the Delhi Police, Khalid, Imam, and others were part of a larger conspiracy to incite riots. They were charged under several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

 

Khalid was arrested in September 2020 and has remained in jail since. His first bail plea was rejected by the trial court in March 2022, and his appeal was denied by the Delhi High Court in October 2022.

 

Sharjeel Imam has also faced multiple cases in different states under sedition and UAPA. He has, however, been granted bail in some of them, including those related to speeches made at Jamia Millia Islamia and Aligarh Muslim University.