SC seeks Delhi Police reply on bail plea of Umar Khalid in 2020 Delhi riots case
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New Delhi: Supreme Court sought the Delhi Police's statement on Thursday in response to a request for bail made by a former JNU student named Umar Khalid in a UAPA case involving the alleged plot that caused disturbances in this area in February 2020.
The Delhi administration was given notice and given six weeks to respond by a bench of Justices Hima Kohli and AS Bopanna.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Khalid, pointed out some dates and said that on the date of the incident, he was not there.
The bench said it is issuing notice and granted liberty to seek a listing of the matter vacation bench. Sibal said that the matter be listed after the vacation.
The bench then posted the matter for further hearing after the summer vacation of the apex court, which is starting on May 22 and coming to an end on July 2.
In his appeal, Khalid has challenged the Delhi High Court order refusing him bail in the UAPA case in which he is in custody for over two years.
On October 18, last year, the high court rejected his bail plea saying he was in constant touch with other co-accused and allegations against him are prima facie true.
The high court also said the actions of the accused prima facie qualified as “terrorist acts” under the anti-terror law UAPA.
Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, and several others have been booked under the anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and provisions of the Indian Penal Code for allegedly being the “masterminds” of the February 2020 riots, which left 53 people dead and over 700 injured.
The violence had erupted during the protests against CAA and NRC.
Khalid, arrested by Delhi Police in September 2020 has sought bail on grounds that he neither had any criminal role in the violence nor any “conspiratorial connect” with any other accused in the case.
The Delhi Police, in the high court, had opposed the bail plea by Khalid, saying the speech delivered by him was “very calculated” and brought up issues like Babri Masjid, triple talaq, Kashmir, the alleged suppression of Muslims and the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC).
With PTI inputs