Hyderabad: All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi has launched a scathing attack on the Congress party, holding it responsible for the prolonged incarceration of activists like Umar Khalid. His comments come in the wake of the Supreme Court's recent refusal to grant bail to Khalid in the 2020 Delhi riots case.
Addressing a gathering in Dhule, Maharashtra, the Hyderabad MP asserted that the draconian amendments to the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), introduced during the Congress-led UPA tenure under then Home Minister P. Chidambaram, are the root cause of extended detentions without trial.
Owaisi recalled his past warnings in Parliament regarding the vague and subjective clauses inserted into the act. He specifically highlighted Section 15, which defines terrorist acts broadly with phrases like "by any other means of whatever nature." He argued that this loose legal phrasing directly contributed to the bail denial for Khalid and fellow activist Sharjeel Imam, both of whom have been jailed for over five years.
The AIMIM leader also targeted Clause 43D of the UAPA, a provision that allows authorities to detain suspects for up to 180 days without filing a charge sheet. Owaisi alleged that this maximum detention period is consistently weaponized, particularly in cases involving minority communities.
The controversy follows a split verdict by the Supreme Court earlier this week regarding the "larger conspiracy" case linked to the 2020 Delhi riots. A bench comprising Justices Aravind Kumar and Prasanna B. Varale denied bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, stating that the prosecution had established a prima facie case against them. This invoked the statutory bar to bail under Section 43D(5) of the UAPA.
However, in the same judgment, the apex court granted bail to five other accused—Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa-ur-Rehman, Mohd Saleem Khan, and Shadab Ahmed—acknowledging their long custody period of over five years.