2020 Delhi riots case: HC rejects bail pleas of Sharjeel Imam, Umar Khalid, 7 others | Delhi News

NEW DELHI: The Delhi high court on Tuesday rejected the bail pleas of Sharjeel Imam, Umar Khalid, Athar Khan, Abdul Khalid Saifi, Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa Ur Rehman, Mohd Saleem Khan, and Shadab Ahmed in the 2020 Delhi riots larger conspiracy case. “All the appeals are dismissed,” the court said while pronouncing its verdict. The court had reserved its order on 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 strongly opposed the bail applications, arguing that the case was not one of spontaneous riots but a planned conspiracy with a sinister motive. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the prosecution, said the violence was a plot to defame India globally. “If you do anything against your nation, you better be in jail till you are acquitted,” he argued. He further contended that long incarceration alone was not a ground for bail. Sharjeel Imam’s counsel had argued that he was “completely disconnected” from the place, time, and co-accused, including Umar Khalid, and that his speeches and WhatsApp chats never called for unrest. Sharjeel Imam, Umar Khalid, and several others have been booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and provisions of the Indian Penal Code for allegedly being the “masterminds” behind the February 2020 riots, which left 53 people dead and over 700 injured. The violence erupted during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC). Sharjeel Imam was arrested in the case on 25 August 2020. While challenging the trial court orders denying bail, he, Khalid, and others cited their long incarceration and parity with other co-accused who had been granted bail. The bail pleas of Sharjeel Imam and other co-accused — Khalid Saifi, Gulfisha Fatima, and others — have been pending in the high court since 2022 and were heard by different benches from time to time. Police opposed the bail applications, describing the February 2020 communal violence as a case of “clinical and pathological conspiracy.” They alleged that speeches by Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, and other accused created fear through repeated references to CAA-NRC, Babri mosque, triple talaq, and Kashmir. The Delhi Police further stated that in cases involving such “grave” offences, the principle of ‘bail is the rule and jail is the exception’ could not be invoked. They also argued that there was no evidence to suggest the prosecution was delaying trial court proceedings and that the right to a speedy trial was not a “free pass.”(With inputs from agencies)