SC to Rule on Bail Pleas in Delhi Riots on Jan 5
SC to Rule on Bail Pleas in Delhi Riots on Jan 5
The Supreme Court will decide on bail petitions of Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam and others tied to the 2020 Delhi riots, with the verdict due January 5.
New Delhi, The Supreme Court will pronounce its verdict on the bail pleas of activists Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam and others accused in the 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case on January 5. A bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and N V Anjaria will decide multiple pleas after hearing arguments from the Solicitor General and Additional Solicitor General for Delhi Police, and senior advocates for the defense. On December 10, the court reserved its verdict following days of hearings.
The Delhi Police contended the February 2020 violence was not spontaneous but orchestrated, a pre-planned attack on India's sovereignty. They argued that Imam's speeches could be linked to other accused and used as evidence against them, and that acts of one conspirator can be attributed to all others. The defense countered that speeches alone cannot constitute the offense and that the petitions revolve around bail rather than a conviction.
Imam's counsel argued that he was arrested on January 28, 2020, before the communal violence in Northeast Delhi, and that his speeches, taken in isolation, cannot constitute an offense. Khalid sought bail, saying there was no single conviction against him and that he had left Delhi before the riots. The other accused named in the pleas include Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa ur Rehman, Mohd Saleem Khan and Shadab Ahmed.
The case has cast a long shadow over Delhi's politics and civil liberties. The verdict may influence how evidence based on speeches and public rhetoric is treated in conspiracy cases and could affect how authorities handle similar protests in the future. With January 5 drawing near, families, observers and legal minds will be watching closely to gauge the balance between security concerns and rights to expression.
