Feb 2020 riots: SC notices Delhi police on bail pleas of Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, others
New Delhi, Sep 22 (PTI): The Supreme Court on Monday sought Delhi Police's response on the bail pleas of activists Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, Gulfisha Fatima and Meeran Haider in the UAPA case related to the alleged conspiracy behind the February 2020 riots in Delhi.
A bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and N V Anjaria issued notice and posted the matter for October 7.
The activists have challenged a September 2 Delhi High Court order which denied bail to nine people, including Khalid and Imam, saying "conspiratorial" violence under the garb of demonstrations or protests by citizens could not be allowed.
Besides Khalid and Imam, those who faced bail rejection are Fatima, Haider, Mohd Saleem Khan, Shifa Ur Rehman, Athar Khan, Abdul Khalid Saifi and Shadab Ahmed.
The bail plea of another accused, Tasleem Ahmed, was rejected by a different high court bench on September 2.
The high court said the Constitution affords citizens the right to protest and carry out demonstrations or agitations, provided they are orderly, peaceful and without arms, and such actions must be within the bounds of law.
While the high court said the right to participate in peaceful protests and to make speeches in public meetings was said to have been protected under Article 19(1)(a), and couldn't be blatantly curtailed, it observed the right was "not absolute" and "subject to reasonable restrictions".
"If the exercise of an unfettered right to protest were permitted, it would damage the constitutional framework and impinge upon the law and order situation in the country," the bail rejection order said.
Khalid, Imam and the rest of the accused persons were booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and provisions of the erstwhile Indian Penal Code for allegedly being the "masterminds" of the February 2020 riots, which left 53 people dead and over 700 injured.
The violence erupted during the protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
The accused, who have denied all the allegations against them, have been in jail since 2020 and had moved the high court after a trial court rejected their bail pleas.
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Delhi's maximum temperature settles at 41.9 deg C
New Delhi (PTI): Delhi on Sunday recorded a maximum temperature of 41.9 degree Celsius, 1.5 notches above the seasonal average, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
The minimum temperature settled at 25.9 degrees Celsius on Sunday morning, 0.6 notches below the seasonal average, the IMD stated.
The weather department predicted strong surface wind during the Monday morning, with the maximum and minimum temperature expected to hover around 44 degrees Celsius and 26 degree Celsius, respectively.
Relative humidity was recorded at 28 per cent at 5.30 pm.
The air quality was recorded in the 'moderate' category at 4 pm, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) reading of 174, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data showed.
According to the CPCB, an AQI between zero and 50 is considered 'good', 51 to 100 'satisfactory', 101 to 200 'moderate', 201 to 300 'poor', 301 to 400 'very poor', and 401 to 500 'severe'.
