Hearing on Umar Khalid's bail plea in UAPA case adjourned
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Tuesday adjourned for four weeks the hearing on a plea filed by former JNU student Umar Khalid seeking bail in a case lodged under anti-terror law UAPA over his alleged involvement in the conspiracy behind the northeast Delhi riots of February 2020.
A bench of Justices Aniruddha Bose and Bela M Trivedi said the matter requires a detailed hearing.
"In this matter, we will have to go document-by-document. You file something on what is the evidence available with regard to the charges," the bench told senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Khalid.
Supreme Court judge Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra had on August 9 recused himself from hearing Khalid's plea.
Khalid's petition challenging the October 18, 2022 order of the Delhi High Court, which had rejected his bail plea in the matter, had come up for hearing before a bench of Justices A S Bopanna and Prashant Kumar Mishra.
The high court had rejected Khalid's bail plea, saying he was in constant touch with other co-accused and the allegations against him were prima facie true.
The high court had also said the actions of the accused prima facie qualified as "terrorist act" under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, and several others have been booked under the anti-terror law UAPA and several provisions of the Indian Penal Code for allegedly being the "masterminds" of the February 2020 riots, which left 53 people dead and over 700 injured.
The violence had erupted during the protests against Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
Khalid, arrested by the Delhi Police in September 2020, had sought bail on grounds that he neither had any criminal role in the violence nor any "conspiratorial connect" with any other accused in the case.
The Delhi Police had opposed Khalid's bail plea in the high court, saying the speech delivered by him was "very calculated" and he brought up contentious issues like Babri Masjid, triple talaq, Kashmir, the alleged suppression of Muslims and the CAA and NRC.
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Canadian cop suspended for attending pro-Khalistan protest outside Hindu temple
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Ottawa (PTI): A Canadian police officer has been suspended for participating in a pro-Khalistan protest outside the Hindu Sabha temple in Brampton, according to a media report.
On Sunday, protestors carrying Khalistani flags clashed with people at the Hindu temple and disrupted a consular event co-organised by the temple authorities and the Indian Consulate.
There were unverified videos circulating on social media about the protest. The videos appeared to show demonstrators holding banners in support of Khalistan, as reported by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
The Peel Police is "aware of a video circulating on social media which shows an off-duty Peel Police officer involved in a demonstration," said Media Relations Officer Richard Chin in an email to CBC News.
"This officer has since been suspended in accordance with the Community Safety and Policing Act," he said.
"We are investigating the circumstances in totality depicted in the video and are unable to provide further information until such time that this investigation is complete."
Peel police previously said three people have been charged after violence erupted as Indian consular officials visited the Hindu Sabha Mandir temple Sunday.
Videos circulating on social media show demonstrators holding banners in support of Khalistan, the CBC report added.
Later in the day, demonstrators made their way to the Westwood Mall in neighbouring Mississauga, according to the World Sikh Organisation of Canada.
A short time after, a third protest was held outside the Malton gurdwara, a Sikh place of worship on Airport Road in Mississauga, the report added.
"Although these demonstrations occurred at three different locations, they appear to be related to one another. Several incidents between protestors and worshippers broke out," police said in a news release.
India on Monday condemned the attack on the temple with an expectation that those indulging in violence "will be prosecuted".
In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs said that New Delhi remains "deeply concerned" about the safety and security of Indian nationals in Canada.
"We condemn the acts of violence perpetrated by extremists and separatists at the Hindu Sabha Temple in Brampton, Ontario. We call on the government of Canada to ensure that all places of worship are protected from such attacks," MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal was quoted as saying in the statement.
