New Delhi, Sept. 3 -- The Delhi High Court on Tuesday denied bail to student activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the larger conspiracy case linked to the February 2020 Delhi riots, holding that their roles appeared "prima facie grave" and that they were the first to act after Parliament passed the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) in 2019. A bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Shalinder Kaur, in a 133-page verdict, also rejected bail pleas of seven others - student activist Gulfisha Fatima, United Against Hate founder Khalid Saifi, Athar Khan, Mohd Saleem, Shifa-ur-Rehman, Meeran Haider, and Shadab Ahmed - taking note of the roles assigned to them in furtherance of the alleged conspiracy, which, according to investigators, culminated in communal clashes in Delhi that left 53 people dead and hundreds injured. Imam was arrested on January 28, 2020, and Khalid on September 14, 2020. Both were booked under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The Delhi Police have alleged that they were the "intellectual architects" of the conspiracy, which escalated into violence in northeast Delhi from February 23, 2020, during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Delhi Police, represented by solicitor general Tushar Mehta and special public prosecutor Amit Prasad, argued that Imam gave inflammatory speeches in Aligarh, Asansol, and Chakand, while Khalid spoke in Amravati on February 17, 2020, urging protests on February 24 - the day US President Donald Trump began his state visit to India. They alleged that both men, working with others, created WhatsApp groups, distributed pamphlets in Muslim-majority areas, and planned chakka-jams to disrupt essential supplies. The judgement said that both Imam and Khalid delivered speeches "on communal lines to instigate a mass mobilisation of members of the Muslim community." At this stage, the bench said, the evidence against them "cannot be branded as weak". The judges rejected the argument that the two were not present at riot sites when violence broke out. The court held their absence irrelevant, saying the planning and mobilisation had already been carried out. Their lawyers contended that they were entitled to bail on parity with co-accused Natasha Narwal, Devangana Kalita, and Asif Iqbal Tanha, who were granted bail in 2021. The court ruled that Khalid and Imam's roles were not comparable with those on bail. "Unlike the limited roles of co-accused, the involvement of Imam and Khalid appears prima facie to be grave," the order said. The court noted that the investigating agency had made "genuine efforts" to uncover the alleged deep-rooted conspiracy and had gathered substantial evidence. Regarding the right to protest, the court observed that conspiratorial violence disguised as protests or demonstrations cannot be allowed, as they do not fall within the scope of constitutional rights....