News Desk – The Supreme Court on Monday refused to grant bail to activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case, saying that concerns related to national security and public order are more important than arguments about long pre-trial detention at this stage.
However, the court granted bail to five other accused in the same case Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa Ur Rehman, Mohd Saleem Khan and Shadab Ahmed.
A bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and NV Anjaria said that the prosecution had placed enough material on record to show the alleged role of Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the criminal conspiracy. Because of this, the court said they were not entitled to bail at present.
The Supreme Court had reserved its verdict on December 10 after hearing separate appeals filed by the accused. These appeals challenged a Delhi High Court order dated September 2, which had earlier refused to grant them bail.
Arguments in Court
The Delhi Police, represented by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, opposed the bail pleas. They argued that the violence in northeast Delhi was not spontaneous, but the result of a well-planned conspiracy meant to disturb public order and harm the country’s sovereignty.
The prosecution also claimed that all the accused were part of a common plan and should be held responsible for each other’s actions.
Senior lawyers including Kapil Sibal, Abhishek Singhvi, Siddhartha Dave, Salman Khurshid and Sidharth Luthra appeared for the accused.
With this ruling, Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam will continue to remain in custody, while five others will be released on bail, subject to court conditions.
The case relates to the 2020 Delhi riots, which left several people dead and many injured, and continues to remain one of the most closely watched legal battles in the country.
