Former Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student Umar Khalid has sought bail from the Supreme Court in the larger conspiracy case under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) connected to the 2020 North East Delhi riots.Khalid has challenged against the September 2 order of the Delhi High Court, which denied him bail along with eight others.The riots took place in February 2020 during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and resulted in 53 deaths and injuries to hundreds.
Delhi Police alleged that the violence was part of a larger conspiracy and filed cases under multiple provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the UAPA. Most of the accused, including Khalid, have been in custody since 2020.Khalid was held in September 2020 on charges of criminal conspiracy, rioting, and unlawful assembly, among others.His first bail plea was turned down by the trial court in March 2022, and the Delhi High Court dismissed his appeal in October 2022.He then approached the Supreme Court, which sought the Delhi Police’s response in May 2023. However, the plea was adjourned several times before Khalid withdrew it in February 2024 citing change in circumstances.Subsequently, a second bail plea was dismissed by the trial court in May 2024 and the Delhi High Court upheld that decision in September.The High Court observed that Khalid’s speeches, particularly one in Amravati coinciding with US President Donald Trump’s visit, could not be ignored. It also pointed to the voluminous chargesheet, 3,000 pages with 30,000 pages of electronic evidence, as a reason why the trial would take time, adding that rushing proceedings would be detrimental to both the accused and the state.Khalid has now moved the Supreme Court again challenging the High Court’s ruling.
