Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam have moved a Delhi court seeking bail in the UAPA case alleging a larger conspiracy behind the 2020 North East Delhi riots. A Karkardooma Court has issued notices to Delhi Police and sought its response, with the matter scheduled for hearing on July 4.
Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam have approached a Delhi court to seek bail in a case alleging a larger conspiracy behind the 2020 North East Delhi riots, registered under the UAPA.
Vacation Bench Judge Dr. Sumedh Kumar Seth of Karkardooma Courts issued notices on the bail applications and directed the Delhi Police to respond. The matter is scheduled to be heard on July 4.
Khalid and Imam have filed regular bail pleas after a coordinated bench of the Supreme Court raised questions over the earlier order that had denied them bail.
Umar Khalid was arrested in September 2020 and has faced charges of criminal conspiracy, rioting, unlawful assembly, and other offenses under the UAPA. He has remained incarcerated since his arrest. This marked his second attempt to secure bail from the High Court.
Initially, the trial court denied him bail in March 2022. Khalid subsequently approached the High Court, which also refused him relief in October 2022, leading him to file an appeal with the Supreme Court.
In May 2023, the Supreme Court requested a response from the Delhi Police regarding the matter, but his plea was adjourned 14 times. On February 14, 2024, he withdrew his bail petition from the Supreme Court, citing changed circumstances.
The cases against Imam were filed under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), accusing him of making inflammatory speeches during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in 2020.
Notably, two speeches delivered by Imam in December 2019 were included in the charge sheet, one in Delhi on December 13 and another in Aligarh on December 16. According to police reports, his remarks allegedly incited violence during protests on December 15, 2019, in Jamia Nagar, Delhi.
In September 2024, the Delhi High Court rejected Imam’s request for an early hearing of his pending bail petition, stating that it would be addressed on the already scheduled date.