NEW DELHI: Mohd Salim Khan, an accused in the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) case linked to the alleged larger conspiracy behind the 2020 North-East Delhi riots, has approached the Delhi High Court seeking a two-week interim bail. Khan has sought temporary relief to arrange funds for his daughter’s academic fees; who is currently pursuing a B.A LLB degree.
A division bench comprising Justice Chandra Dhari Singh and Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani heard the plea on Thursday. At the outset, Justice Singh pointed out that the interim bail plea should ideally be placed before the bench handling Khan’s main bail appeal.
Khan’s counsel informed the court that his bail application, pending for the past three years, is currently being heard by a special bench led by Justice Navin Chawla. However, the bench convenes only on specific dates, leading to prolonged delays.
Acknowledging this concern, Justice Bhambhani remarked, “Normally, interim bail applications are heard by the same bench dealing with the main bail plea. We understand the difficulty posed by the special bench’s schedule, but it is for that bench to decide.”
Following this, the court directed that Khan’s interim bail plea be listed before the special bench on Friday, subject to the Chief Justice’s approval.
“At the request of the applicant, let this matter be placed before the same bench comprising Justice Navin Chawla and Justice Shalinder Kaur with the Chief Justice’s permission for Friday,” the court ordered. Khan had previously moved the trial court, stating that financial constraints had prevented him from paying his daughter’s third and fourth semester fees.
He contended that before his arrest, he managed a business with a closing stock valued at over Rs 16 lakh, which he could liquidate at a fair price to generate the necessary funds.
However, the trial court dismissed his plea on March 25, citing that Khan had been granted interim bail four times earlier for different reasons, including a previous application based on selling stock.