New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday denied bail to activists Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam and seven others facing prosecution in a UAPA case linked to the alleged conspiracy behind the February 2020 riots, PTI reported.
A bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Shalinder Kaur pronounced the order on the bail pleas of Khalid, Imam, Mohd Saleem Khan, Shifa Ur Rehman, Athar Khan, Meeran Haider, Abdul Khalid Saifi, Gulfisha Fatima and Shadab Ahmed.
"All the appeals are dismissed," the bench held on Tuesday after reserving its order on July 9.
A detailed order is awaited.
The accused persons have been in jail since 2020, and they moved the high court against a trial court order dismissing their bail pleas.
The prosecution had opposed the bail pleas, saying it was not a case of spontaneous riots but a case where riots were "planned well in advance" with a "sinister motive" and "well-thought-out conspiracy".
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the prosecution, then contended it was a conspiracy to defame India on a global level, and mere long incarceration was no ground for bail.
"If you do anything against your nation, you'd better be in jail till you are acquitted," he argued.
Imam's counsel, however, argued that he was "completely disconnected" with the place, time and co-accused persons, including Khalid.
His speeches and WhatsApp chats never called for any unrest, he added.
Khalid, Imam and several others were booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and provisions of the IPC for allegedly being the "masterminds" of the February 2020 riots, which left 53 people dead and over 700 injured.
The violence erupted during the protests against the CAA and NRC.