The hearing on the bail petitions made by Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, and other defendants in the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act case, which alleges a larger conspiracy linked to the 2020 North-East Delhi riots, was adjourned by the Delhi High Court today, Monday, October 7.
The division bench, which consists of Justices Shalinder Kaur and Navin Chawla, did not appear today, thus the cases were postponed, reports LiveLaw.
According to the court master, November 25 is the next date of the bail plea hearing.
The division bench was set to preside over the case as a judge from the previous bench recused himself from the case. However, on the first day of the hearing, the division bench did not appear as the father of one of the judges passed away.
Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam have been in prison as undertrial prisoners under the 2020 Delhi riots “larger conspiracy” case since 2020.
In September 2020, Umar Khalid, a former student of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), was taken into custody under UAPA. He was detained on the allegations that he delivered provocative comments and was heavily involved in planning the riots.
Umar Khalid's bail requests have been the subject of multiple postponements, denials, and recusals from Supreme Court and Delhi High Court judges over the last three years.
Shortly after Khalid's detention, another activist and student leader, Sharjeel Imam, was taken into custody. He is also accused of encouraging violence through his remarks and posts on social media.
Imam was denied bail by a Delhi District Court in April 2022, ruling that the accusations against him were "prima facie true".
Other student leaders and activists named in the case are Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, United Against Hate founder Khalid Saifi, Asif Iqbal Tanha, Safoora Zargar, and Natasha Narwal.
