Supreme Court denies bail to Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam in Delhi riots ‘larger conspiracy’ case
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday refused to grant bail to activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the Delhi riots larger conspiracy case, observing that a prima facie case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) is made out against them.
A bench of the apex court said it was satisfied that the prosecution material establishes a prima facie case and that statutory restrictions under UAPA apply. “Granting bail at this stage of the proceedings would not be appropriate,” the court noted, adding that it had deliberately refrained from adopting a collective or integrated approach while examining the case.
Khalid, Imam and several others have been charged under UAPA and provisions of the Indian Penal Code for allegedly being “masterminds” of the February 2020 Delhi riots, which claimed 53 lives and left over 700 people injured. The violence erupted during protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC).
Sharjeel Imam was arrested on August 25, 2020. While challenging the trial court’s refusal to grant bail, the accused cited prolonged incarceration and sought parity with certain co-accused who had been granted bail earlier. Their bail pleas have been pending before the Delhi High Court since 2022 and were heard intermittently by different benches.
The Supreme Court’s decision comes after the Delhi High Court had earlier denied bail to Khalid and Imam in the same case.
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4 minor sisters found dead in well; their mother kills self at home in MP's Sagar district
Sagar (MP) (PTI): Four minor sisters aged between five months and seven years were found dead in a well on Thursday, while their mother who allegedly threw them into the water body, was found hanging at her home in a village in Sagar district of Madhya Pradesh, police said.
Prima facie it appears that the woman, Savita Lodhi (30), threw her four daughters into the well and later hanged herself at her house in Khamaria village, about 50km from the district headquarters, City Superintendent of Police (CSP) Lalit Kashyap told reporters.
The sisters, aged between five months and seven years, drowned in the well located in an agriculture field belonging to a local farmer, he said, adding three of the bodies have been fished out so far with the help of villagers.
On receiving information about the incident, which created panic in the village, personnel from the Kesli police station reached the spot and began an investigation.
The reason behind the suicide-murders was not yet known, according to police.
Police are questioning family members of the deceased and local residents to ascertain the circumstances leading to the incident, the CSP said.
