Delhi HC Denies Bail To Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam In 2020 Riots Conspiracy Case

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday rejected bail pleas of former JNU student union leader and activist Umar Khalid and activist Sharjeel Imam.

Both of them were prosecuted under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) case, and are accused of "conspiracy" in the 2020 Delhi riots case.

A bench of judges comprising of Navin Chawla and Shalinder Kaur presided over the matter and released the judgment regarding the bail pleas of Sharjeel Imam, Umar Khalid, Mohd Saleem Khan, Shifa Ur Rehman, Athar Khan, Meeran Haider, Abdul Khalid Saifi and Gulfisha Fatima.

The prosecution vehemently opposed the bail pleas, alleging that the 2020 riots were not spontaneous, but rather a intricately planned conspiracy orchestrated with a foul motive. They called it a "well-thought-out conspiracy", which was planned in advance with a "sinister motive"

Khalid was arrested in September 2020 and has been in jail since then while Sharjeel Imam was taken under arrest on August 25, 2020. This is the second time Khalid has appealed in the HC for bail.

While challenging the trial court orders refusing bail, Sharjeel Imam, Umar Khalid, and others cited their long incarceration and parity with other co-accused who were granted bail.

The trial court had first rejected his plea in March 2022, post which he filed an appeal in the high court, where his plea again faced rejection.

The riots in February 2020 had erupted amid protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which was seen by the protesters as a precursor to a nationwide National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercise. The communal violence claimed the lives of 53 people and injured over 700.