Delhi riots: High Court denies bail to Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, seven others in UAPA case
New Delhi: In a significant development in the 2020 Delhi riots "larger conspiracy" case, the Delhi High Court on Tuesday dismissed the bail pleas of student activists Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, and seven other accused. The judgment was delivered by a division bench comprising Justice Naveen Chawla and Justice Shalinder Kaur.
The individuals whose bail pleas were rejected include:
- Sharjeel Imam (arrested: Jan 28, 2020)
- Umar Khalid (arrested: Sep 13, 2020)
- Athar Khan (arrested: Jun 29, 2020)
- Khalid Saifi (arrested: Feb 26, 2020)
- Mohd. Saleem Khan (arrested: Jun 24, 2020)
- Shifa-Ur-Rehman (arrested: Apr 26, 2020)
- Meeran Haider (arrested: Apr 01, 2020)
- Gulfisha Fatima (arrested: Apr 04, 2020)
- Shadab Ahmed (arrested: Jun 11, 2020)
All the accused had approached the High Court to challenge the trial court’s orders denying them bail in FIR 59 of 2020, registered by the Delhi Police's Special Cell under sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), 1860, and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967.
Senior Advocate Trideep Pais, appearing for Umar Khalid, argued that mere presence in WhatsApp groups does not amount to criminality, especially when no incriminating messages were sent. Pais also stated that no recovery—monetary or otherwise—had been made from Khalid and questioned the prosecution's claim of a “secret” meeting held on the night of February 23–24, 2020.
Senior Advocate Rebecca John, appearing for Khalid Saifi, contended that Saifi’s messages were innocuous and the prosecution had attempted to build a narrative around them. She also raised the argument of parity, noting that three co-accused had been granted bail in June 2021.
Sharjeel Imam, through Advocate Talib Mustafa, argued that his alleged role in the conspiracy ended on January 23, 2020, before the riots occurred, and that he had no connection with the other co-accused or any conspiracy meetings.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Delhi Police, strongly opposed the bail pleas. “If you are doing something against the nation, then you better be in jail till you are acquitted or convicted,” Mehta asserted. He claimed the accused aimed to globally defame the country and strategically chose a particular day to incite violence and arson.
Special Public Prosecutor Amit Prasad also appeared on behalf of the Delhi Police.
FIR 59/2020 includes multiple accused under serious charges, including those under the stringent UAPA. Apart from the nine denied bail today, the broader case includes other prominent names such as Tahir Hussain, Ishrat Jahan, Asif Iqbal Tanha, Safoora Zargar, Natasha Narwal, Faizan Khan, and Tasleem Ahmed.
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23-year-old woman found dead at Delhi home; suicide suspected
New Delhi (PTI): A 23-year-old woman was found dead in her house in Delhi's Prem Nagar area, with police suspecting it to be a case of suicide, an official said on Tuesday.
The deceased, identified as Anjali Singh, was found motionless in her room on Monday by her sister and her neighbour.
Police said her father, Vinod Kumar Singh (51), told them that he and his wife were away at work at the time of the incident, while their son and the other daughter were also not at home at the time of the incident.
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According to the family, the room in which Anjali was found was locked from the inside. The door was later forcibly opened by a neighbour and her sister with the help of a crowbar.
Her body was found lying on the bed inside the room, police said.
Preliminary inquiry revealed that Anjali had allegedly hanged herself using a piece of cloth tied to the ceiling fan.
It is suspected that the noose eventually might have loosened or torn off, resulting in her being found lying on the bed.
Family members informed the police that Anjali was a final-year student of a librarian science course from Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). About a week ago, her final-year examination results were declared, and she had failed, following which she had been under depression, they said.
The family has not raised any allegation of foul play, police said, adding that no suicide note or external injury marks were found on the body during the initial inspection.
Inquest proceedings have been initiated in the matter as per the law. The body has been sent for post-mortem examination to ascertain the exact cause of death, and further investigation is underway, police added.
