A Delhi court has sought a response from the city police regarding fresh regular bail applications filed by activists Sharjeel Imam and Umar Khalid in the larger conspiracy case linked to the 2020 riots. This development comes several months after the Supreme Court rejected their earlier petition.
Court Proceedings
Additional Sessions Judge Sumedh Saini issued a notice to the Delhi Police and scheduled the matter for hearing on July 4. Both applications were submitted after the Supreme Court declined to grant bail on January 5 in the case registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
Imam's Arguments
In his plea, Imam contended that more than six months had passed without any meaningful progress in the trial since the Supreme Court's order. He argued that the proceedings for framing charges remained incomplete, despite him having spent nearly six years in custody. Imam further claimed that he was not in Delhi after the second week of January 2020 and was already in judicial custody in another case before the communal violence erupted in northeast Delhi in February that year.
Khalid's Arguments
In his separate bail plea, Khalid similarly cited prolonged incarceration and trial delays, stating that he had been in custody for nearly six years without charges being framed. He argued that the trial was unlikely to commence soon due to the large number of accused individuals, witnesses, and documents involved. The plea also referenced observations made by the Supreme Court in a May 18 order in another terror-related case, where the court emphasized that anti-terror laws should not result in indefinite detention. Khalid argued that these subsequent judicial developments constituted a change in circumstances, making his fresh bail application maintainable despite the earlier rejection.
