Delhi riots: SC reserves order on activists' bail
New Delhi, Dec. 11 -- The Supreme Court on Wednesday reserved judgment on the bail pleas of former JNU scholar Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, among other accused in the 2020 Delhi riots larger conspiracy case. The Delhi police said that the speeches by Khalid and Imam were sufficient for a case under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).
The accused had claimed for a bail citing long incarceration and no possibility of trial ending soon. A bench of justices Aravind Kumar and NV Anjaria asked the Delhi police to reply to the charges levelled by them accusing the prosecution of delayed trial, absence of material to proof their involvement and relying on old speeches to accuse them of committing a 'terrorist' act.
The bench asked the police, "How do you bring Section 15 of UAPA which defines terrorist acts into this case."
Referring to arguments made by senior advocate Siddharth Dave who appeared for Imam, the court said, "They have argued that it is only a speech made prior to the riots in 2020. How do you link the speech with the action during the riots? At best, they claim, it may attract unlawful activity under section 13(1)(d)."
Besides Khalid and Imam, others seeking bail include Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa ur Rehman, among others....
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