The Supreme Court will hear the bail pleas of Sharjeel Imam, Umar Khalid, Meeran Haider, and Gulfisha Fatima on Friday in the 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case.
The four accused, charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), have challenged the Delhi High Court’s refusal to grant them bail in connection with the alleged larger conspiracy behind the North-East Delhi riots.
A bench of Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice NV Anjaria will hear the petitions of Imam, Khalid, and Fatima. Meanwhile, a separate bench led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice K Vinod Chandran will take up Haider’s plea.
Background of the 2020 Delhi Riots
The 2020 Delhi riots, which broke out amid widespread protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), left more than 50 people dead and hundreds injured.
The Delhi Police alleged that several activists and student leaders orchestrated a premeditated conspiracy linked to the anti-CAA protests and invoked UAPA against them.
- Sharjeel Imam, a former JNU student, was arrested on January 28, 2020, in Jehanabad, Bihar, for allegedly delivering inflammatory speeches at Jamia Millia Islamia and Aligarh Muslim University. Authorities later booked him under UAPA charges for his alleged role in the riots.
- Umar Khalid, also a former JNU student, approached the apex court on September 10 after the Delhi High Court rejected his bail plea.
- Gulfisha Fatima and Meeran Haider, both associated with student activism, face similar UAPA charges that civil rights groups and legal experts have strongly contested.
The prolonged incarceration of the accused and the use of UAPA provisions in the case have drawn national attention.
Observers believe the Supreme Court’s ruling on these bail pleas could significantly influence how courts interpret and handle UAPA cases linked to protest movements.
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