NEW DELHI: Activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam were “masterminds” of the Delhi riots of 2020 and their fresh bail petitions are “illegal” and an attempt to “mislead”, the police told the Delhi High Court.
Police made the claims while opposing the fresh bail petitions filed by them in the larger conspiracy case connected to the Delhi riots of 2020.
“It is, at the outset, submitted that the present bail proceedings are misconceived and illegal in view of the following grounds elaborated hereinunder; (a) the present Appellant is one of the ‘masterminds’ of the Delhi riots (b) the present bail proceedings are in teeth of the binding directions passed by the SC in the Appellant’s own case in Gulfisha Fatima v. State (Govt. of NCT of Delhi): 2026,” the police affidavit said.
The police further said the accused were trying to “mislead” the court by relying on the Supreme Court judgment in Syed Iftikhar Andrabi v. NIA: 2026, passed in “an unrelated case”, and projecting it as a change in circumstances to maintain their bail petitions.
Khalid and Imam had filed appeals against a trial court order denying them bail on July 4. Khalid has also filed an application seeking interim bail until the SC decides whether prolonged incarceration and delays in trial can override bail restrictions under statutes such as the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
The issue has been referred to a larger bench following conflicting opinions from two SC benches. In their appeals before the High Court, the accused have claimed that the trial court “erred” in denying them relief.
The trial court had dismissed their fresh bail applications, saying the SC had already rejected their pleas on similar grounds. The accused had moved the fresh applications after an apex court bench on May 18 expressed reservations about the earlier judgment denying them bail on January 5. Denying relief, the trial court said it had “no option but to follow” the SC’s January 5 order.
Tahir Hussain appeals against conviction
Former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain has moved the HC challenging his conviction and life imprisonment for the murder of IB officer Ankit Sharma during the 2020 riots. Hussain alleged that the investigation was aimed at implicating him to satisfy public anger and claimed the FIR was ante-dated and witnesses were planted.
