NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday, once again, adjourned the hearing to February 7, the bail plea application filed by the former JNU student, Umar Khalid, for his alleged involvement in connection with the February 2020 communal violence in the national capital.
A two-judge bench of the Apex Court headed by Justice Bela M Trivedi and also comprising Justice Pankaj Mithal, posted the matter for hearing to February 7, Wednesday next week.
The Apex court adjourned the hearing of Khalid's bail plea for the 13th consecutive time, since 2023, including of today's.
The social activist, Khalid has been in jail since his arrest by the Delhi Police on September 14, 2020, for his alleged involvement in the Delhi riots case. He was booked under the very stringent UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act) charge, for his alleged larger conspiracy behind the Delhi Riots case. He denied the charges and claimed innocence in the case.
The accused, Khalid had approached the top court challenging an October 2022 Delhi High Court verdict that had denied bail to him.
Khalid was arrested by the Delhi Police in September 2020 for his alleged role in connection with the communal violence in the national capital. Since then, he has been in jail.
He had initially in the Delhi High Court sought bail on grounds that he neither had any "criminal role" in the violence in the city's North-East area nor any "conspiratorial connect" with any other accused in the case. The Delhi police had opposed the bail plea of Khalid in the HC.
He had approached the High Court challenging the dismissal of his bail application by the trial court in March 2022.
The police also arrested Sharjeel Imam, activist Khalid Saifi, JNU students Natasha Narwal and Devangana Kalita, Jamia Coordination Committee members Safoora Zargar, former AAP (Aam Aadmi Party) Councillor, Tahir Hussain and several others under the stringent law in the case.
According to the prosecution, the violence had erupted following protests against the CAA and NRC. The protests had left 53 people dead and over 700 injured.
Khalid was charge-sheeted in the case, along with other accused persons.