2020 Delhi riots: SC adjourns hearing for 4 weeks on Umar Khalid’s bail plea
New Delhi, Sep 12: The Supreme Court on Tuesday adjourned hearing for four weeks on the bail plea filed by student activist Umar Khalid who was arrested and charged under the Unlawful Activities Activities (Prevention) Act in connection with the alleged larger conspiracy case behind the 2020 Delhi riots.
“Leave granted. List certainly after four weeks,” ordered a bench comprising Justices Aniruddha Bose and Bela M. Trivedi. saying that the court would have to go through the evidence placed on record after a charge sheet has been filed against Khalid.
On September 5, the top court had adjourned hearing on the plea giving a “last opportunity” as senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who would argue on Khalid’s behalf, was appearing before Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud-led Constitution Bench hearing pleas against abrogation of Article 370.
“Mr. Sibal is bound to be busy. We cannot wait for any particular senior counsel,” the apex court had remarked, while posting the plea for hearing in the coming week.
Khalid has approached the Supreme Court against denial of bail by the Delhi High court.
A bench of Justices Siddharth Mridul and Justice Rajnish Bhatnagar of the high court had rejected Khalid’s appeal seeking regular bail on October 18 last year.
He had challenged the trial court order which had denied him bail in connection with the UAPA case.
His alleged offensive speeches delivered at Amaravati during the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of Citizens were the basis of allegations against him in the riots case.
JNU scholars and activists Khalid, and Sharjeel Imam are among the nearly a dozen people involved in the alleged larger conspiracy case linked with the Delhi riots 2020, as per the Delhi Police.
The riots broke out in the national capital in February 2020 as clashes between the anti and pro-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protesters took a violent turn, in which more than 50 people lost their lives and over 700 were injured.
