The Supreme Court on Wednesday adjourned till January 31 the hearing on the bail plea of former JNU student Umar Khalid in a case under the anti-terror law UAPA related to his alleged involvement in the conspiracy behind the northeast Delhi riots of February 2020.
A bench of Justices Bela M Trivedi and Ujjal Bhuyan deferred the matter as the bench was available only till lunch. The bench stated, “List on January 31. High on board.”
Senior advocate C U Singh, representing Khalid, expressed readiness to argue but noted that the bench was rising after lunch. The case was listed alongside a batch of petitions challenging various provisions of the UAPA.
It is to be noted that Supreme Court judge Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra had recused himself from hearing Khalid’s plea on August 9, 2023.
Khalid’s petition challenging the October 18, 2022, order of the Delhi High Court, which rejected his bail plea, was scheduled for a hearing before a bench of Justices A S Bopanna and Mishra. The high court had denied Khalid’s bail plea, citing his constant contact with co-accused and the prima facie truth of the allegations against him. It also deemed the accused’s actions as a “terrorist act” under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, and others face charges under the UAPA and various provisions of the Indian Penal Code, being accused of masterminding the February 2020 riots that resulted in 53 deaths and over 700 injuries. The violence occurred during protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
Arrested by the Delhi Police in September 2020, Khalid sought bail asserting his lack of a criminal role in the violence and absence of a conspiratorial connection with other accused. The Delhi Police opposed Khalid’s bail plea in the high court, emphasizing the calculated nature of his speech, addressing contentious issues like Babri Masjid, triple talaq, Kashmir, the alleged suppression of Muslims, and the CAA and NRC.
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