SC reserves order on bail pleas of Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam in Delhi riots case

The Supreme Court on Wednesday reserved its verdict on bail pleas of activists Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam and others in the UAPA case related to the alleged conspiracy behind the February 2020 riots in Delhi.

A bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and N V Anjaria heard arguments from Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, Additional Solicitor General S V Raju and senior advocates Kapil Sibal, Abhishek Singhvi, Siddhartha Dave, Salman Khurshid and Sidharth Luthra.

Strongly opposing the bail pleas of activist Umar, Sharjeel and others, the Delhi Police had said the February 2020 riots were not something spontaneous, but an “orchestrated, pre-planned and well-designed” attack on India’s sovereignty.

Umar, Sharjeel and other accused were booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA) anti-terror law and provisions of the erstwhile IPC for allegedly being the “masterminds” of the 2020 riots, which left 53 people dead and over 700 injured. The violence erupted during widespread protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

The accused have moved the apex court challenging the Delhi High Court’s September 2 order denying them bail in the “larger conspiracy” case of the February 2020 riots.