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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Three youths bludgeon 40-year-old man to death with brick in Baghpat
Baghpat (UP) (PTI): Police said on Saturday that three youths allegedly bludgeoned a man to death with a brick in Meetli village here following a late-night beer party.
Preliminary investigations suggest the dispute arose from a suspected illicit relationship, said police, adding that the three accused have been detained.
Police received information on Saturday morning that the body of Sonu (40), a resident of Dola village, was lying in the forest near Meetli village.
There were visible signs of severe head injuries on his body, and bottles of liquor and beer were also recovered from the crime scene, leading to the suspicion that a drinking party had taken place there before the incident, police said.
Superintendent of Police Suraj Kumar Rai said police registered a case based on the written complaint submitted by the family members.
Police sent the body for a postmortem.
According to the deceased's family members, two youngsters from the same village took him away at 8:00 pm on Friday, and he never returned home.
They said when they tried to contact him via phone, his mobile number was switched off.
The deceased worked as a street food vendor in the village and is survived by his wife, two sons, and two daughters.
