Delhi riots 2020: HC schedules Khalid’s bail hearing for Oct 7
NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Thursday listed for hearing on October 7 the bail plea of former JNU student Umar Khalid in a case registered against him under anti-terror law UAPA over the alleged larger conspiracy behind the communal riots that erupted in the national capital in February 2020.
A bench headed by Justice Suresh Kumar Kait also listed for hearing on the same date the pending bail applications of student activist Sharjeel Imam, ‘United Against Hate’ founder Khalid Saifi, and other co-accused in the case.
Senior counsel appearing for Umar Khalid told the court that the Delhi Police were yet to file a reply to the bail petition on which a notice was issued on July 24.
The bench, also comprising Justice Girish Kathpalia, asked the parties to file written submissions in the matter instead.
“Renotify on October 7. Parties are directed to file written submissions within two weeks,” the bench said.
Khalid, who was arrested by the Delhi Police in September 2020, has assailed a trial court order refusing to grant him bail in the case.
Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, along with others, were booked under UAPA and the Indian Penal Code for allegedly masterminding the February 2020 riots, which left 53 dead and over 700 injured during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC). Khalid’s second bail plea was rejected on May 28, 2024, after his first was dismissed by the Delhi High Court in October 2022. Sharjeel Imam’s 2022 appeal challenges the denial of bail, with police accusing him of mobilising violence during then-President Trump’s visit.
