Delhi riots 2020: Top points ahead of court hearings in UAPA case against Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, others
A Delhi court began hearing an UAPA case filed against Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam and several others from Monday. It pertains to the North East Delhi Riots that took place in 2020 amid protests over the over the Citizenship Amendment Act and National Register of Citizens. The matter will be heard by Special Judge Amitabh Rawat at the city's Karkardooma court on a day-to-day basis.
Apart from Khalid and Imam, activist Khalid Saifi, JNU students Natasha Narwal and Devangana Kalita, Jamia Coordination Committee members Safoora Zargar, former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain and several others were also booked under the stringent law in the case. Violence rocked Delhi in early 2020 amid CAA-NRC protests, killing 53 people dead and leaving over 700 injured. Over the past three years there have been several developments in the case – with multiple arrests and subsequent chargesheets being filed.
The Delhi Police had lodged a conspiracy case against several individuals under the stringent anti-terror law as 751 FIRs were registered in connection with the violence. While most of the accused have filed bail pleas during the past three years, only six individuals currently remain out on bail. Earlier this month the Supreme Court had adjoined the hearing for a bail plea filed by Khalid.
The former JNU student had approached the top court challenging an October 2022 Delhi High Court verdict that had denied bail to him. Meanwhile, the Karkardooma court on Monday reserved its order on a bail application filed by Sharjeel Imam for September 25. Lawyers for the student activist argued that he had already served half the maximum punishment prescribed for the offence.
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