Umar Khalid Seeks Open Court Hearing For Review Plea In Supreme Court

A request was made before the Supreme Court on Monday to allow an open court hearing of a review petition filed by Umar Khalid. The petition relates to an alleged conspiracy case linked to the 2020 Delhi riots.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Khalid, mentioned the matter before a Bench comprising Justices Aravind Kumar and Prasanna B Varale. He informed the court that the review plea is scheduled for hearing later this week and urged that it be heard in open court rather than in chambers.

Responding to the submission, the Bench said it would examine the request and decide accordingly.

Typically, review petitions are dealt with in chambers and only on limited legal grounds, such as identifying apparent errors in earlier judgments. Open court hearings in such cases are uncommon.

Earlier this year, the apex court denied bail to Khalid and co-accused Sharjeel Imam in the same case. It granted relief to several others.

The court had observed that the material presented by the prosecution indicated a prima facie case against the two. It invoked restrictions under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

The Bench had also clarified at the time that its observations were limited to the bail stage. They would not affect the trial proceedings.

The latest request now places the focus on whether the review petition will be considered in open court. This move could allow for broader arguments before the judges.