New Delhi: The Supreme Court directed six accused in the Delhi riots conspiracy case to submit their permanent addresses as the bench continued hearings on their pending bail pleas. The order was issued by Justices Aravind Kumar and NV Anjaria while hearing petitions filed by Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shadab Ahmed and Mohd Saleem Khan.
The bench noted the extensive length of submissions by counsel on both sides. It fixed a strict timeline for further arguments. Each lawyer will get 15 minutes for oral submissions and the Additional Solicitor General will receive 30 minutes for clarifications. The court posted the matter for the next hearing on December 9.
The accused have approached the Supreme Court after the Delhi High Court denied them bail on September 2. Khalid was arrested in September 2020 under the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. Imam also faces multiple UAPA and sedition cases filed in different states. They told the court that they did not call for violence and were exercising their right to peaceful protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act.
The Delhi Police opposed the bail pleas. They submitted that there is documentary and technical evidence of a conspiracy aimed at inciting riots on communal lines. They argued that the February 2020 violence, which led to 53 deaths and left hundreds injured, was planned. Police claimed the accused attempted to trigger a regime change and compared the events to unrest in Bangladesh and Nepal.
The defence argued that long periods of incarceration without trial undermine the justice process. The court will continue to review the matter next week.
