Supreme Court to Hear Bail Pleas of Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, and Gulfisha Fatima on September 12

New Delhi: The Supreme Court is set to hear bail pleas on September 12 filed by student activists Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, and Gulfisha Fatima in connection with the 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case. The matter will be taken up by a bench comprising Justices Aravind Kumar and N V Anjaria.

The three are among nine accused who were recently denied bail by the Delhi High Court on September 2 in the case related to alleged involvement in orchestrating the communal violence in Northeast Delhi in February 2020. The violence, which erupted during anti-CAA and NRC protests, led to the death of 53 people and left over 700 injured.

The High Court had rejected the bail petitions, stating that violence “under the guise of protest” could not be permitted. While acknowledging that the Constitution protects the right to protest under Article 19(1)(a), the court noted that this right is not absolute and is subject to reasonable restrictions. It emphasized that protests must remain peaceful, lawful, and non-violent.

Along with Khalid, Imam, and Fatima, others denied bail include Mohammad Saleem Khan, Shifa-Ur-Rehman, Athar Khan, Meeran Haider, Abdul Khalid Saifi, and Shadab Ahmed. A separate bench had also rejected the bail plea of another accused, Tasleem Ahmed.

All of the accused have been charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Authorities allege that they were the “masterminds” behind the violence, a charge the accused have firmly denied. They have been in judicial custody since 2020.

Their earlier bail pleas were rejected by the trial court, following which they approached the High Court, and now the matter has reached the apex court.