The Supreme Court Friday adjourned hearing on bail petitions by ex-JNU student Umar Khalid, activist Sharjeel Imam, and seven others in the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act case involving alleged “larger conspiracy” behind the 2020 northeast Delhi riots until Monday, September 22.
A Bench headed by Justices Aravind Kumar and Manmohan adjourned the case to September 22 by declining to assign any reason, for the second straight adjournment of petitions challenging a Delhi High Court order of September 2 denying bail to the nine detained persons, including Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Mohd Saleem Khan, Shifa-ur-Rehman, Athar Khan, Shadab Ahmed, and Abdul Khalid Saifi.
The petitions were rejected by the High Court with observations that “conspiratorial” violence during protests would never be permitted as it would vitiate the constitution system and law-and-order situation. Imam was detained on January 28, 2020, and Khalid on September 13, 2020, and have sought long pre-trial detention over five years by Imam opposing bail. The riots stoked by protests over the Citizenship Amendment Act killed 53 people and injured some 700 individuals.
Founding Editor of The Jamia Times. An alumnus of Jamia Millia Islamia, he previously worked with The Quint and Maktoob Media, focusing on hate crimes, marginalised communities, and democratic rights in India. His reporting has documented custodial torture, caste and communal violence, and the everyday struggles of vulnerable groups across Uttar Pradesh and beyond. His work has also appeared in national and international outlets, amplifying grassroots stories to wider audiences.