NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police on Wednesday told a city court that there were reasonable grounds to believe that the “prima facie accusations” were true against former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain in case related to the larger conspiracy during 2020 Delhi riots, also involving student activists Umar Khalid and others.
The police made the submissions before Additional Sessions Judge Sameer Bajpai while opposing the bail application of Hussain, and two other co-accused, Salim Malik and Athar Khan, in the case.
The three had filed their bail applications after the Supreme Court granted bail to five other accused in the same case, on the grounds of parity, contending that they are facing similar charges. During the arguments, the special public prosecutor (SPP) opposed the bail of all three accused, saying that prima facie accusations show that they were involved with the main conspirators in the case.
“Bail applications of Salim Malik and Athar Khan were dismissed by the predecessor court and the high court. Salim had also withdrawn his bail application filed in the Supreme Court, while Hussain had withdrawn his bail application from the trial court,” he informed the court. Athar Khan, Salim Malik and Tahir Hussain were charged under the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) over their alleged involvement in the 2020 riots.
The SPP contended that the offence against the three accused attracted UAPA Section 43D (5) as there were reasonable grounds for believing that the accusation against them was prima facie true. “Prima facie accusations show their involvement with the main conspirators in the case,” he said. The court is likely to pass an order on the bail applications of all three accused on Thursday.
Rashid’s plea rejected in terror funding case
The Delhi HC on Wednesday rejected a plea by jailed Lok Sabha MP from Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla, Sheikh Abdul Rashid alias Engineer Rashid, challenging the framing of charges against him in a terror funding case. The Bench said the appeal was not maintainable.