Hearing on former JNU student Umar Khalid's bail plea deferred yet again

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 1  

The Supreme Court on Thursday adjourned for a week the hearing on former JNU student activist Umar Khalid in a UAPA case relating to conspiracy behind the February 2020 communal riots in the National Capital that left 53 people dead and over 700 injured.

This was the 13th time that the top court had deferred the hearing on the bail plea of Khalid who has been in jail since September 2020.

Khalid’s bail plea was adjourned twice last month -- on January 10 and on January 24 at the request of both parties.

A Bench led by Justice Bela M Trivedi deferred the hearing as senior advocate Kapil Sibal was busy in a Constitution Bench hearing on minority status of the Aligarh Muslim University. It would now take up the matter next week.

On August 9 last year, Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra of the Supreme Court had recused himself from hearing Khalid’s plea.

Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, and several others have been booked under the anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and provisions of the Indian Penal Code for allegedly being the “masterminds” of the February 2020 riots during the visit of then US President Donald Trump. The violence had erupted during the protests against Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

Khalid, arrested by the Delhi Police in September 2020, had sought bail on grounds that he neither had any criminal role in the violence nor any “conspiratorial connect” with any other accused in the case.

The top court had on May 18 last year asked the Delhi Police to respond to Khalid’s petition challenging the Delhi High Court order refusing him bail.

In its October 18, 2022 order, the high court had turned down his bail plea, noting that he was in constant touch with other co-accused and allegations against him are prima facie true. The actions of the accused prima facie qualified as “terrorist act” under the anti-terror law UAPA, it had said.

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