New Delhi, September 2(HS): A bench headed by Justice Naveen Chawla of the Delhi High Court on Tuesday dismissed the bail pleas of nine accused, including Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, who are charged with conspiring in the Delhi riots. The court had reserved its judgment on the bail applications on July 9.
Apart from Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, the bail pleas of Athar Khan, Abdul Khalid Saifi, Mohammad Salim Khan, Shifa ur Rehman, Miran Haider, Gulfisha Fatima, and Shadab Ahmad were also rejected. During the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Delhi Police, argued that the accused, if allowed to act against the country, were better off in jail. He emphasized that the case involves a well-planned conspiracy to incite riots with nationwide ramifications.
Defence counsel for Umar Khalid contended that merely being a member of a WhatsApp group does not prove involvement in a crime. Advocate Tridip Pez argued that although Umar Khalid was part of three WhatsApp groups, he rarely sent messages and merely shared protest site locations when asked. Merely being in a group, he said, does not imply guilt.
Miran Haider’s lawyer stated during the proceedings that Haider neither attended any meeting nor participated in any chat group discussing plans to incite violence. He described Haider as a young leader and Jamia University student who took part only in protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act, not any riot conspiracy. Haider was not found with any weapons.
Earlier, opposing the bail pleas, Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma said trial delays should not equate to a free pass. He pointed out that the delay is caused by the accused, not the prosecution. The trial is ongoing, with arguments on framing charges underway. Sharma stressed the importance of a speedy trial but added that prolonged detention is justified in cases involving anti-national activities, and granting bail under such circumstances is inappropriate.
Notably, the Delhi riots in February 2020 resulted in at least 53 deaths and several injuries.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
