2020 Delhi riots case: The hearing of bail pleas of activists Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, Gulfisha Fatima and Meeran Haider was deferred by the Supreme Court from Friday to September 22.
A bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and Manmohan deferred the pleas.
The accused have denied all the allegations against them. They have been in jail since 2020.
On September 2, the Delhi High Court denied bail to the 9 people, including Khalid and Imam, saying “conspiratorial” violence under the garb of demonstrations or protests by citizens could not be allowed.
Besides Umar Khalid and Imam, those who faced bail rejection are Fatima, Haider, Mohd Saleem Khan, Shifa Ur Rehman, Athar Khan, Abdul Khalid Saifi and Shadab Ahmed.
What did the High Court say?
The Constitution affords citizens the right to protest and carry out demonstrations or agitations, provided they are orderly, peaceful and without arms, and such actions must be within the bounds of law.
While the high court said the right to participate in peaceful protests and to make speeches in public meetings was said to have been protected under Article 19(1)(a), and couldn’t be blatantly curtailed, it observed the right was “not absolute” and “subject to reasonable restrictions”.
What did the bail rejection order say?
— If the exercise of an unfettered right to protest were permitted, it would damage the constitutional framework and impinge upon the law and order situation in the country.
What are the charges against Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam?
Khalid, Imam and other accused in the case were booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and provisions of the erstwhile Indian Penal Code for allegedly being the ‘masterminds’ of the February 2020 riots.
How many people died in the riots?
The riots left 53 people dead and over 700 injured.
The violence erupted during the protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
