Delhi High Court Issues Notice On Umar Khalid’s Bail Plea In Delhi Riots Case

The Delhi High Court on Friday issued notice to the Delhi Police on former Jawaharlal Nehru University student Umar Khalid’s regular bail plea in the alleged larger conspiracy case linked to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots.

A Division Bench comprising Justices Prathiba M Singh and Vikas Mahajan also sought the police’s response to Khalid’s application for interim bail.

The court listed both pleas for further hearing on August 27, along with the regular bail petition filed by co-accused Sharjeel Imam.

Khalid has challenged a Karkardooma Court order that rejected his regular bail application in the case registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and other penal provisions.

Senior advocate Trideep Pais argued that Khalid deserved interim bail after the Supreme Court referred to a larger Bench the issue of prolonged incarceration and delayed trials under the UAPA.

Earlier this month, the Karkardooma Court rejected the regular bail pleas of Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, citing the Supreme Court’s January 5 order and ruling that fresh applications were not maintainable until the prescribed conditions were met.

While the defence cited the interim bail granted to co-accused Tasleem Ahmed and Khalid Saifi as a change in circumstances, the prosecution argued that no fresh grounds existed to reconsider Khalid’s bail.

The case concerns the alleged larger conspiracy behind the northeast Delhi riots of February 2020, with Khalid, Imam and several others facing charges under the UAPA and other penal laws.

The Supreme Court earlier rejected the bail pleas of Khalid and Imam, citing prima facie material attracting the statutory restrictions under Section 43D(5) of the UAPA. It, however, granted bail to five other accused in the same case.

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