Supreme Court Adjourns Bail Pleas of Activists Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam in UAPA Case

The Supreme Court on Friday adjourned the bail pleas of activists Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, Gulfisha Fatima, and Meeran Haider in the UAPA case related to the alleged conspiracy behind the February 2020 riots in the national capital. The bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and N V Anjaria expressed disappointment at receiving the files very late. The activists have challenged the September 2 Delhi High Court order, which denied bail to nine persons, including Khalid and Imam, stating that "conspiratorial" violence under the garb of demonstrations or protests by citizens couldn't be allowed.

Key Takeaways:

The Supreme Court adjourned the bail pleas of activists Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, Gulfisha Fatima, and Meeran Haider in the UAPA case related to the alleged conspiracy behind the February 2020 riots in the national capital.
The bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and N V Anjaria received the files very late, expressing disappointment over the delay.
The activists have challenged the September 2 Delhi High Court order, which denied bail to nine persons, including Khalid and Imam, stating that "conspiratorial" violence under the garb of demonstrations or protests by citizens couldn't be allowed.
The Delhi High Court cited Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution, stating that the right to participate in peaceful protests and to make speeches in public meetings is protected but not absolute.
The accused persons were booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and provisions of the IPC for allegedly being the "masterminds" of the February 2020 riots, which left 53 people dead and over 700 injured.
Khalid and Imam have been in jail since 2020, and they sought bail in the high court after a trial court rejected their bail pleas.

Statistics:

9 persons, including Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, were denied bail by the Delhi High Court on September 2.
53 people died and over 700 were injured in the February 2020 riots in the national capital.
The accused persons have been in jail since 2020.
9 persons, including Mohd Saleem Khan, Shifa Ur Rehman, Athar Khan, Meeran Haider, Abdul Khalid Saifi, and Shadab Ahmed, were also denied bail by the Delhi High Court.

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