New Delhi: The Delhi High Court is set to deliver its verdict on Tuesday regarding the bail pleas of student leaders and activists Sharjeel Imam, Umar Khalid, and several others who are facing prosecution under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in connection with the alleged conspiracy behind the February 2020 Delhi riots, reported the Hindustan Times.
A division bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Shalinder Kaur will announce the order at 2:30 pm. The court had reserved its judgment on July 9 after hearing extensive arguments from both the prosecution and the defence.
The bail applications have been filed by Sharjeel Imam, Umar Khalid, Mohd Saleem Khan, Shifa Ur Rehman, Athar Khan, Meeran Haider, Abdul Khalid Saifi, and Gulfisha Fatima. While the accused have cited their long incarceration and parity with co-accused already granted bail, the prosecution has strongly opposed the pleas.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Delhi Police, argued that the case was not about spontaneous violence but a “planned conspiracy” to defame India at the global level. He insisted that in cases involving grave offences, the principle of “bail is the rule and jail is the exception” could not be applied.
On the other hand, defence lawyers argued that the accused were not directly linked to the violence and their speeches or online messages never incited unrest. Sharjeel Imam’s counsel stressed that he had no connection with the place, time, or other co-accused, while Umar Khalid’s defence maintained that mere criticism of government policies like CAA-NRC should not be criminalised.
The February 2020 riots, which broke out during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC), resulted in 53 deaths and over 700 injuries.
Sharjeel Imam was arrested on August 25, 2020, and along with others, continues to face trial under stringent anti-terror laws. Their bail pleas have been pending in the Delhi High Court since 2022.
