Delhi riots case: Umar Khalid asks SC to review bail denial in open court

Umar Khalid, accused in the 2020 Delhi riots case, has asked the Supreme Court to review its judgment denying him bail. Represented by Kapil Sibal, Khalid has also requested an open-court hearing for the review petition.

Khalid Seeks Open-Court Hearing for Bail Review

Student activist Umar Khalid, accused in the 2020 Delhi riots case, on Monday sought from the Supreme Court a review of a judgement that denied him bail and urged that the review petition be heard in open court.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Khalid, requested a bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and NV Anjaria to list the review petition in open court. Sibal said that on April 16, the matter is coming up for consideration before the judges in chambers, and they have filed an application for an open-court hearing. To this, Justice Kumar said, "We will look into the papers. If required, we will call it."

Background of Previous Bail Denial

On January 5, the apex court denied bail to Khalid and Sharjeel Imam while observing that there were reasonable grounds to believe the allegations levelled against them in connection with the conspiracy behind the 2020 north-east Delhi riots. They had challenged the Delhi High Court order, which denied them bail in the UAPA case linked to the alleged larger conspiracy behind the riots.

The apex court had refused bail to Khalid and Imam but granted it to five others, saying all the accused do not stand on the same footing. It had been said that Khalid and Imam, who have been in jail since 2020, can file fresh bail pleas after the examination of protected witnesses or after a year from the day the order was passed.

The top court had said that there was a prima facie case against Khalid and Imam under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), and noted that prosecution material suggests that they were involved in the "planning, mobilisation and strategic direction" of the riots.

Details of Arrest and Riots Context

Khalid was arrested on September 13, 2020, on charges of delivering provocative speeches on February 24 and 25 when Donald Trump, in his first term as the president of the United States, visited India.

The February 2020 riots in north-east Delhi had erupted during the protests against the then-proposed Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) and had left 53 people dead and over 700 injured.

The Delhi Police had arrested a total of 18 people in the conspiracy case, and of them, 11 have been granted bail so far.

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