New Delhi: Activists Sharjeel Imam and Umar Khalid on Saturday filed fresh bail applications before a court in the larger conspiracy case linked to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, citing prolonged incarceration and delay in trial.
Court Proceedings
The pleas were filed before Additional Sessions Judge Sumedh Kumar Sethi after a Supreme Court bench in May questioned the interpretation of its earlier judgment that was relied upon to deny them bail in January 2026. The trial court sought a response from Delhi Police and listed the matter for July 4.
Khalid's Arguments
Khalid submitted that he had spent nearly six years in custody without charges being framed and the trial was unlikely to start in the near future considering the large number of accused, witnesses, and documents relied upon by the prosecution. Referring to the apex court's observations in its May 18 order in a terror-related case, Khalid also argued that subsequent judicial developments constituted a change in circumstances, making the current bail plea maintainable despite rejection of his earlier application. He also cited several Supreme Court precedents to contend that statutory restrictions on bail under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) cannot override constitutional protections where the trial is unlikely to conclude within a reasonable time.
Imam's Arguments
Imam's application stated that there was no significant development in the proceedings even six months after the Supreme Court judgment denying him bail and that he had remained in custody for nearly six years. The plea argued that subsequent Supreme Court judgments had clarified the legal position regarding grant of bail in UAPA cases involving long incarceration. It also contended that Imam was not in Delhi after the second week of January 2020 and was already in custody in another case before the riots broke out in February that year.
Background
On January 5, the Supreme Court denied bail to Khalid and Imam while granting relief to a few co-accused.
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