Delhi HC to hear Solicitor General's arguments against bail pleas of Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam

New Delhi [India], July 1 (ANI): The Delhi High Court is set to hear arguments from Solicitor General Tushar Mehta opposing the bail pleas of Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, and others accused in the 2020 North East Delhi Riots case on Tuesday.
The case involved allegations of a larger conspiracy, with 18 accused individuals chargesheeted under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), and two accused are absconding.
The division bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Shalinder Kaur, at the request of the Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) for the Delhi police, adjourned the matter for hearing on July 9.
Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) Amit Prasad appeared in person, and SG Mehta appeared through video conferencing.
The High Court is hearing the bail pleas of Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, and others. They challenged the trial court orders dismissing their bail, citing the embargo under UAPA.
Devangana Kalita, Natasha Narwal, and Asif Iqbal Tanha were granted regular bail by the Delhi High Court on June 15, 2021, after the court allowed their appeals against the trial court order. The trial court also granted bail to the accused, Ishrat Jahan.
The accused are alleged to have hatched a conspiracy leading to the riots, which resulted in 53 deaths and hundreds of injuries in the North East Delhi Riots in February 2020. Delhi Police claim that Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam were key conspirators, with evidence including WhatsApp chats and speeches.
More than 700 FIRs were registered against several accused persons in different police stations of North East Delhi and other areas.
The Delhi High Court has previously questioned the Delhi Police's approach, asking whether organizing protests is enough to invoke UAPA charges and seeking concise evidence to support their claims. This case is at the stage of arguements on charges. (ANI)