NEW DELHI: Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam have moved fresh bail applications in the 2020 riots larger conspiracy case, with a Delhi court on Saturday issuing notice to the Delhi Police seeking their response.
Court Proceedings
Additional Sessions Judge Dr Sumedh Sethi of Karkardooma court directed the police to file their reply and listed the matter for further hearing on July 4. Both accused have moved regular bail pleas in the case registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and other penal provisions.
Supreme Court Observations
The fresh bail pleas come after a Supreme Court bench questioned the interpretation adopted by the apex court in earlier rulings that denied bail to Khalid and Imam. Imam argued in his application that more than six months have passed since the Supreme Court rejected his bail in January, yet there has been no meaningful progress in the trial. He said arguments on framing of charges are still incomplete and that he has spent nearly six years in custody.
Bail Arguments
Khalid has also sought regular bail. The court took up both applications together and sought the police's stand. The Supreme Court had earlier this year dismissed the bail pleas of both men, saying the prosecution had disclosed prima facie grounds for denying bail under UAPA's Section 43D(5). However, the same court granted bail to five other accused in the case — Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa Ur Rehman, Mohd Saleem Khan and Shadab Ahmed.
Recent Developments
In a recent development, the Supreme Court granted six months' interim bail to two other accused — Tasleem Ahmed and Khalid Saifi. The court referred to a larger bench the question of whether long incarceration and trial delay can justify bail despite UAPA restrictions. A bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and Prasanna B. Varale noted that different Supreme Court benches have expressed divergent views on interpreting an earlier three-judge ruling. The court directed the registry to place the matter before the Chief Justice of India for constituting an appropriate bench.
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