NEW DELHI: Former Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) scholar and activist Umar Khalid on Wednesday approached the Supreme Court challenging Delhi High Court's order rejecting him bail under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act case related to the alleged criminal conspiracy in the February 2020 riots in the national capital.
Sources in the top court -- although could not reveal much about the would be date of hearing of Khalid's bail plea -- indicated that Khalid's plea would come up for hearing within 3-4 days keeping in view the importance and sensitivity of the case. "The bail plea is likely to come up for hearing in the top court in 3-4 days," said, a senior official in the top court registry.
The Delhi HC had on September 2 rejected the bail plea of nine persons, including Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, in the case, saying "conspiratorial" violence under the garb of demonstrations or protests by citizens couldn't be allowed.
The HC, which had rejected other accused's bail plea, included Mohd Saleem Khan, Shifa Ur Rehman, Athar Khan, Meeran Haider, Abdul Khalid Saifi, Gulfisha Fatima and Shadab Ahmed.
The social activist and former JNU student 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 charge, for his alleged larger conspiracy behind the Delhi Riots case. He, denied the charges and claimed innocent in the case.
Khalid had earlier approached the top court challenging an October 2022 Delhi High Court verdict that had denied bail to him. Since then, he has been in jail and never been on bail, despite his best efforts and filing constant appeals across courts, pleading to be released on bail.
He had initially, in the Delhi the 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.
The police also arrested 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.
