Delhi riots case: Why didn't the Supreme Court grant bail to Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam? Here's what SC said
Delhi riots case: The Supreme Court said that their roles were "central" to the alleged offences. As regards these two, though the period of incarceration is continued and long it does not violate the Constitutional mandate or override the statutory embargo under the laws.
The Supreme Court on Monday denied bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in 2020 north-east Delhi riots case. However, the SC granted bail to Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa Ur Rehman, Mohd. Saleem Khan, and Shadab Ahmad. During the hearing of the matter, the SC bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and N V Anjaria noted that Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam stand on a "qualitatively different footing" both in terms of prosecution and evidence.
SC says their roles were "central" to alleged offences
The apex court said that their roles were "central" to the alleged offences. As regards these two, though the period of incarceration is continued and long it does not violate the Constitutional mandate or override the statutory embargo under the laws.
The SC bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and NV Anjaria delivered the judgment on the bail pleas filed by Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa Ur Rehman, Mohd Saleem Khan and Shadab Ahmed.
Delhi riots case: Here’s what court said?
"This court is satisfied that the prosecution material disclosed a prima facie allegation against the appellants Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam. The statutory threshold stands attracted qua these appellants. This stage of proceedings does not justify their enlargement on bail," the bench said.
On December 10, the top court reserved its verdict on separate pleas of the accused after hearing arguments from Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and Additional Solicitor General S V Raju, appearing for Delhi police, and senior advocates Kapil Sibal, Abhishek Singhvi, Siddhartha Dave, Salman Khurshid and Sidharth Luthra, appearing for the accused.
Umar, Sharjeel, others booked under UAPA
Umar, Sharjeel and the other accused were booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), an anti-terror law, and provisions of the erstwhile IPC for allegedly being the "masterminds" of the 2020 riots, which left 53 people dead and more than 700 injured in northeast Delhi.
The violence erupted during widespread protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC). The accused moved the apex court challenging a Delhi High Court order dated September 2 denying them bail in the "larger conspiracy" case of the February 2020 riots.
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