The Delhi High Court on Tuesday denied bail to activists Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam and several others in a case registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in connection with the alleged conspiracy behind the February 2020 Delhi riots.
A bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Shalinder Kaur decided 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 court had earlier reserved its order on July 9 on pleas filed between 2022 and 2024.
Prosecution Terms Riots a ‘Planned Conspiracy’
The prosecution opposed the bail applications, maintaining that the riots were not spontaneous but “planned well in advance” with a “sinister motive” and a “well-thought-out conspiracy.”
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Khalid, Imam and others were booked under the UAPA along with provisions of the IPC for allegedly being the “masterminds” of the February 2020 riots. The violence, which broke out during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC), claimed 53 lives and left more than 700 people injured.
