Today, On 6th September, Student activist Meeran Haider has withdrawn his bail plea from the Delhi High Court in connection with a UAPA case related to the 2020 Delhi riots. Haider, accused of conspiracy in the riots, had initially sought bail under the stringent anti-terror law. However, he chose to retract his application during the hearing.
New Delhi: Student activist Meeran Haider withdrew his bail plea from the Delhi High Court on Friday in connection with a case filed against him under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), related to the alleged conspiracy behind the 2020 communal riots in Delhi.
Haider’s legal counsel informed a bench comprising Justice Suresh Kumar Kait and Justice Girish Kathpalia that since the police completed their investigation, he would now approach the trial court for bail.
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Haider, a youth wing leader of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and a student at Jamia Millia Islamia, along with others, including Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, faces charges under the UAPA and the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for allegedly being the masterminds of the February 2020 northeast Delhi riots, which left 53 dead and over 700 injured.
The violence occurred during protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
Since his arrest in April 2020, Haider has been in custody. In 2022, he approached the high court after the trial court denied him bail, but the matter has been pending.
The Delhi Police opposed Haider’s bail, arguing that he played a key role as the coordinator of the Jamia Coordination Committee (JCC), which they claimed was instrumental in organizing the “chakka jams” (road blockades).
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Last month, Haider granted a 10-day interim bail by the trial court on humanitarian grounds.
The ongoing legal battle surrounding Haider, along with other activists involved in the anti-CAA protests, has drawn widespread attention, with many viewing these cases as emblematic of the broader struggle between the state and dissenting voices in India.
The outcome of Haider’s bail application at the trial court level will be closely monitored, as it may set a precedent for the other accused in similar UAPA cases related to the 2020 Delhi riots.