The court issued a warning to Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, and others involved in the Delhi Riots case, cautioning them against causing unnecessary delays in the trial. The court emphasized that any further postponements from the accused’s side would be taken seriously. It stressed the importance of timely proceedings to ensure justice.
New Delhi: A Delhi Court cautioned the accused in the Delhi riots conspiracy case, including Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, Tahir Hussain, Asif Iqbal, and Ishrat Jahan, against delaying the trial by requesting unnecessary adjournments.
In an order issued on October 4, Additional Sessions Judge Sameer Bajpai pointed out that during the previous hearing, it had been agreed that the matter of charges would be heard on a day-to-day basis. The defense counsel had also agreed to reach a consensus on the order in which they would present their arguments.
However, when the case was taken up last week, the counsel were not prepared to start their arguments, prompting the Court’s displeasure.
The judge remarked,
“It is surprising that on the last date of hearing the court specifically noted that the matter shall be heard on charge on a day-to-day basis. After considering the submissions of the learned counsel for the accused, they had agreed to address arguments in a particular sequence. Despite this, none of the counsel is ready to present arguments today.”
The Court proceeded to issue a warning to the accused, cautioning them against further delaying the trial.
The Court stated in its order,
“The court observes that more than sufficient time has been provided, yet the learned counsel for the accused are still not prepared today. The accused are warned that the trial must not be delayed unnecessarily on their part, and any further delay will be taken seriously by the court,”
The accused in the case include Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, Safoora Zargar, Natasha Narwal, Asif Iqbal Tanha, Tahir Hussain, Khalid Saifi, Ishrat Jahan, Meeran Haider, Gulfisha Fatima, Shifa-Ur-Rehman, Shadab Ahmed, Tasleem Ahmed, Saleem Malik, Mohd Saleem Khan, Athar Khan, and Faizan Khan.
The Delhi Police charged the accused under stringent provisions of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). The Court began hearing arguments on charges after the police confirmed that the investigation regarding all the accused had been completed.
In September 2020, Umar Khalid arrested amidst allegations of being a central figure in the February Delhi riots. His legal ordeal has been fraught with challenges, with charges ranging from criminal conspiracy to offenses under the UAPA.
Read Also: Umar Khalid Seeks Bail in North East Delhi Violence Case
Despite seeking bail initially denied by the trial court in March 2022 and subsequently rejected by the Delhi High Court in October 2022, Khalid’s perseverance led him to take his case to the Supreme Court of India.
In May 2023, Khalid’s plea reached the Supreme Court, prompting the court to request a response from the Delhi Police. Despite this, the proceedings faced multiple adjournments, with the plea postponed on 14 occasions. On February 14, 2024, the Supreme Court scheduled to review the bail request. However, Khalid’s legal representative, Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, opted to strategically retract the plea from the Supreme Court.
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