SC to hear bail pleas of Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam tomorrow

New Delhi, Sep 11 (IANS) The Supreme Court is slated to hear on Friday the bail pleas of Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam and two others accused in the 2020 Delhi riots "larger conspiracy" case.

As per the causelist published on the Supreme Court website, a bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) B.R. Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran will hear the special leave petition (SLP) filed by Meeran Haider, while a bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and N.V. Anjaria will take up the bail pleas of Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, and Gulfisha Fatima on September 12.

The accused -- booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and other penal provisions -- have challenged the Delhi High Court's order rejecting their bail pleas.

The Delhi High Court, in its order passed on September 2, observed, prima facie, that there was sufficient material on record to suggest that Imam and Khalid had masterminded the conspiracy.

A bench of Justices Shalinder Kaur and Navin Chawla noted that Khalid and Imam had delivered inflammatory speeches on February 24, 2020, coinciding with the then US President Donald Trump's State visit, which the prosecution alleged was deliberately timed to trigger riots on February 23 to 24 and draw international attention.

"The alleged inflammatory and provocative speeches delivered by the appellants, when considered in totality, prima facie indicate their role in the alleged conspiracy," the Delhi High Court said.

In relation to Meeran Haider, it noted that she allegedly provided funds to the Alumni Association of Jamia Millia Islamia (AAJMI), where meetings of the JCC (JMI Coordination Committee) were held.

The Justice Kaur-led bench further noted the prosecution's submission that the completion of investigation against Haider did not constitute a material change in circumstances to justify bail, citing pending witness examination and the gravity of the alleged conspiracy.

According to the prosecution, Gulfisha Fatima used code words to instruct protesters to undertake actions in furtherance of the alleged conspiracy and received funds for it.

The February 2020 Delhi riots, which broke out during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC), left 53 people dead and more than 700 injured.

--IANS

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