2020 Delhi riots: HC seeks police stand on bail plea by UAPA accused
The Delhi High Court on Monday sought the Delhi Police’s stand on a bail application by Mohd Saleem Khan, who is an accused in the UAPA case related to the alleged conspiracy behind the February 2020 riots in the city. A two-judge bench of Justices Mukta Gupta and Mini Pushkarna issued notice on the bail plea and sought a status report from the investigating agency. The matter would be held next on July 20.
Mr Khan sought bail on the ground that he has been in custody for two years and that his role in the case is very limited and based on video footage. He also urged the court to release him to interim bail and informed that he has already been granted bail in another case which is also based on the same video footage.
The trial court had dismissed Mr Khan’s bail application on March 22. Mr Khan and several others have been booked under the anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and provisions of the IPC in the case for being the “masterminds” of the February 2020 riots, which had left 53 people dead and over 700 injured.
The violence had erupted during the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of Citizens. The police have also charge-sheeted former JNU student leader Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, United Against Hate activist Khalid Saifi, and former Congress councillor Ishrat Jahan, Pinjra Tod activists Gulfisha Fatima, Safoora Zargar, Natasha Narwal, and Devangana Kalita and former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain in the case.
The bail applications of Mr Khalid and Mr Imam are already pending before the high court. The police have claimed that a large number of students, ex-students, and other members of a particular community participated in the anti-CAA(Citizenship Amendment Act) rally. They alleged that the accused hatched a common conspiracy by calling for a march, leading a mob, and instigating communal feelings.