NEW DELHI: Human rights activist Meeran Haider, an accused in the Delhi riots case and charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), withdrew his bail appeal from the Delhi High Court on Friday.
Haider, represented by Advocate Shri Singh, intends to file a fresh plea before the trial court following the completion of the police investigation.
A Division Bench comprising Justices Suresh Kumar Kait and Girish Kathpaliya allowed Haider’s request and dismissed his appeal as withdrawn. The case, which was originally set for hearing on October 7 alongside other appeals, will now proceed through the trial court.
Haider’s initial bail plea was dismissed by the Karkardooma trial court in 2022, and his appeal has been pending in the High Court since then. Notably, in May 2022, the High Court had issued a notice to the Delhi Police in response to Haider’s bail plea. However, the trial court rejected arguments from the defense that Haider was not in Delhi during the riots, stating that physical presence is not a prerequisite for conspiracy charges.
The court also dismissed the relevance of Haider’s academic background, including his Ph.D. and work on socio-political issues, while considering his bail. It emphasized that bail must be grounded in the evidence presented in the charge sheet.
Despite the defense counsel’s argument that Haider’s activities, such as organizing protests did not amount to an offense under UAPA, the prosecution maintained that Haider played a central role in managing key protest sites during the riots.