A bench led by Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice NV Anjaria will hear bail applications
NEW DELHI – The Supreme Court will hear the bail applications of Gulfisha Fatima, Sharjeel Imam, Meeran Haider, Umar Khalid, Shifa Ur Rehman, and Mohd Saleem Khan in the Delhi riots larger conspiracy case on Monday, October 27.
A bench comprising Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice NV Anjaria is scheduled to hear the pleas. The case has drawn significant attention due to the high-profile nature of the accused and the serious charges related to the 2020 Delhi riots.
Earlier, the bench had issued a notice to the Delhi police in response to their pleas.
The Delhi High Court on September 2 denied bail to Sharjeel Imam, Umar Khalid, and seven others. The bail plea of another accused, Tasleem Ahmed, was rejected by a different high court bench.
Delhi Police had opposed their bail pleas, saying it was not a case of spontaneous riots but a case where riots were “planned well in advance” with a “sinister motive and well-thought-out conspiracy”.
The high court had observed that prima facie, the role of Imam and Khalid in the entire conspiracy was “grave”, having delivered inflammatory speeches on communal lines to “instigate mass mobilisation of members of the Muslim community.”
They sought bail from the apex court in the larger conspiracy case under the stringent provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in the Delhi riots case in February 2020.
In 2020, the Delhi Police arrested Imam under the UAPA and named him as the main conspirator behind the Delhi riots case.
