Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Jan 3: The Supreme Court is set to pronounce its judgment on Monday, January 5, on the bail applications of seven accused, including student activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, in the alleged “larger conspiracy” case related to the 2020 Delhi riots.

According to the cause list uploaded on the Supreme Court’s website, a Bench comprising Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice Prasanna B. Varale will deliver the verdict.

The bail pleas have been filed by Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa-ur-Rehman, Shadab Ahmed, and Mohd Saleem Khan, all of whom are facing charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Several of the accused have remained in judicial custody for over five years.

On December 10, the apex court had reserved its judgment after hearing a batch of special leave petitions (SLPs) challenging the Delhi High Court’s decision to deny bail in the case. The Bench had subsequently allowed both sides to submit additional documents by December 18 to support their arguments.

During the hearings, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing on behalf of the Delhi Police, strongly opposed the bail pleas. He argued that the violence during the 2020 riots was not incidental or spontaneous, but the result of a “well-planned, orchestrated and premeditated” conspiracy aimed at undermining national sovereignty.

The Solicitor General relied on materials such as speeches, WhatsApp conversations and other evidence to contend that there was a deliberate attempt to create communal divisions. He further claimed that delays in the trial were largely due to the accused, alleging non-cooperation and prolonged arguments at the stage of framing charges.

In response to arguments on prolonged incarceration, the prosecution maintained that delays alone should not become grounds for bail in serious cases involving national security, asserting that such pleas were increasingly being used as a strategy to avoid scrutiny of evidence.

Earlier, on September 2 last year, the Delhi High Court had rejected the bail pleas of Khalid, Imam and other accused, holding that there was sufficient prima facie material to invoke provisions of the UAPA against them.

The Supreme Court’s ruling on Monday is expected to have significant legal and political implications, particularly in cases involving prolonged detention under stringent anti-terror laws.