Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi
New Delhi, Sep 19: The Supreme Court on Friday postponed to September 22 the hearing of bail pleas filed by activists Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, Gulfisha Fatima, and Meeran Haider in the UAPA case linked to the February 2020 Delhi riots.
A bench comprising Justices Aravind Kumar and Manmohan deferred the proceedings. The activists are challenging the Delhi High Court’s September 2 order that denied bail to nine accused, including Khalid and Imam, citing that “conspiratorial” violence under the guise of protests cannot be condoned.
Others whose bail applications were rejected include Mohd Saleem Khan, Shifa Ur Rehman, Athar Khan, Abdul Khalid Saifi, and Shadab Ahmed. Another accused, Tasleem Ahmed, had his bail plea rejected by a separate high court bench.
The High Court had noted that while the Constitution protects the right to peaceful protests and public speeches under Article 19(1)(a), this right is not absolute and is subject to “reasonable restrictions” to safeguard law and order. It warned that allowing unchecked protests could harm the constitutional framework.
All the accused have been in jail since 2020, facing charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and relevant sections of the erstwhile Indian Penal Code, accused of being masterminds of the February 2020 riots, which left 53 dead and over 700 injured during protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
The accused have denied all allegations and had moved the High Court after their bail pleas were earlier rejected by the trial court.