The Delhi High Court has refused to grant bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam concerning the 2020 Delhi riots. The court’s decision was announced on Tuesday, following hearings on the bail applications filed by the accused. Concurrently, the court also denied bail to Tasleem Ahmed, another individual arrested in the same case under the UAPA. The bench of Justices Subramaniam Prasad and Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar delivered the verdict.
The court had previously reserved its judgment on July 10th. The Delhi Police presented arguments against the bail applications during the hearings.
Besides Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, the court also reserved its decision on the bail pleas of Mohammad Salim Khan, Shifa Ur Rehman, Athar Khan, Meeran Haider, Abdul Khalid Saifi, and Gulfisha Fatima. The prosecution contended that the riots were not an isolated incident, but rather a pre-planned conspiracy orchestrated with malicious intent.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the prosecution, argued that the case involved a conspiracy to tarnish India’s image globally and that the length of detention alone should not be the basis for granting bail. He emphasized that those who act against their nation should remain incarcerated until their exoneration.
Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, and other defendants face charges under the UAPA and sections of the Indian Penal Code for allegedly masterminding the February 2020 riots. The riots resulted in the deaths of 53 individuals and injuries to over 700 others. The violence was triggered by protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC). The bail applications of several accused, including Sharjeel Imam and Gulfisha Fatima, have been pending since 2022 and have been heard by different benches of the High Court.