A Delhi court on Friday rejected the bail applications of student activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the larger conspiracy case linked to the 2020 Delhi riots. The order was passed by Additional Sessions Judge Sameer Bajpai of the Karkardooma Courts.
During the hearing, the Delhi Police opposed the fresh bail pleas, arguing that there had been no change in circumstances since the previous applications. The prosecution further contended that Khalid and Imam played key and distinct roles in the alleged conspiracy, setting them apart from the other accused in the case.
Special Public Prosecutor Madhukar Pandey made the submissions before the court, which had reserved its verdict after hearing arguments from both sides.
In their fresh bail pleas filed last month, Khalid and Imam argued that there had been a significant change in circumstances, citing a Supreme Court judgment delivered on May 18. The verdict, delivered by a bench comprising Justices B.V. Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan, granted bail to Jammu and Kashmir resident Syed Iftikhar Andrabi in a narco-terror case investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
While granting bail in that case, the Supreme Court expressed “serious reservations” over the reasoning adopted in an earlier January 5 judgment, observing that it had failed to correctly apply the principles laid down by a larger three-judge bench in the 2021 Union of India vs K.A. Najeeb case. The apex court had held in K.A. Najeeb that prolonged incarceration and delays in trial could outweigh the stringent bail restrictions under Section 43D(5) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
