Activist Umar Khalid is happy for others who were given bail in the 2020 Delhi riots larger conspiracy case and has accepted that jail will be his life now, his partner Banojyotsna Lahiri said on Monday. Khalid's reaction comes after the Supreme Court refused to grant bail to the activist, who has been booked under the stringent anti-terror Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
"'I am really happy for the others, who got bail! So relieved', Umar said. 'I'll come tomorrow for Mulaqat', I replied. 'Good good, aa jana. Ab yahi zindagi hai'. #UmarKhalid," Banojyotsna posted on micro-blogging website X (formerly Twitter).
Apart from Khalid, the apex court also refused to grant bail to Sharjeel Imam. However, the two-judge bench that included Justices Aravind Kumar and NV Anjaria granted bail to five others -- Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa Ur Rehman, Mohd. Saleem Khan, and Shadab Ahmad.
What the court said while refusing to grant bail to Khalid, Imam?
The court said that Khalid and Imam stand on a "qualitatively different footing" than the other accused. It said that there was a prima facie case against them under the UAPA, but noted that they move for bail once again after the completion of examination of all prosecution witnesses in the case is completed.
"The statutory threshold stands attracted qua these appellants. This stage of proceedings do not justify their enlargement on bail," the Supreme Court said.
'It's unfortunate'
Umar Khalid's father SQR Ilyas has called the Supreme Court's verdict 'unfortunate'. "No comments. It is unfortunate. I have nothing to say. The judgement is there, and I have nothing to say," he said, quoted by news agency PTI.
The February 2020 riots in northeast Delhi left 53 people dead and more than 700 injured. While Imam was arrested on January 28, 2020, Khalid was arrested on September 13, 2020. They have been booked under the UAPA and provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for allegedly being the "masterminds" of the riots.
