Delhi riots: SC adjourned for January 10 hearing of Umar Khalid's bail plea
Nov 29, 2023
New Delhi [India], November 29 : The Supreme Court on Wednesday adjourned for January 10, 2024, the bail plea hearing of former Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student Umar Khalid in a UAPA case related to the alleged conspiracy behind the North-East Delhi riots in February 2020.
A bench of Justices Bela M Trivedi and Satish Chandra Sharma adjourned the hearing as senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Khalid and Additional Solicitor General SV Raju were not available.
The bench also listed the pleas challenging the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) on January 10.
Sibal had earlier said certain provisions of the UAPA, including provisions concerning terrorism, raising funds for terrorist acts, and conspiracy, did not apply in this case.
Khalid had approached the top court challenging an October 2022 Delhi High Court verdict that had denied bail to him.
Khalid, arrested by Delhi Police in September 2020, in the High Court had sought bail on grounds that he neither had any "criminal role" in the violence in the city's North-East area nor any "conspiratorial connect" with any other accused in the case. The Delhi police had opposed Khalid's bail plea.
He had approached the High Court, challenging the dismissal of his bail application by the trial court in March 2022.
He was charged with criminal conspiracy, rioting, and unlawful assembly, as well as several sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
Besides Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, activist Khalid Saifi, JNU students Natasha Narwal and Devangana Kalita, Jamia Coordination Committee members Safoora Zargar, former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain and several others were booked under the stringent law in the case.
The violence that erupted during the protests against CAA and NRC left 53 people dead and over 700 injured.
