Sharjeel Imam moves Supreme Court for bail in 2020 Delhi riots case

New Delhi: Sharjeel Imam, an accused in the conspiracy behind the 2020 Delhi riots case, moved the Supreme Court on Saturday in an appeal against the denial of bail by the High Court in the five-year-old case, a lawyer said. Sharjeel Imam has been charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and other penal provisions, IANS reported.

The February 2020 riots led to the death of 53 people and left 700 injured. The violence took place during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of Citizens (CAA-NRC).

The Delhi High Court had on Tuesday dismissed the bail pleas of Sharjeel Imam, Umar Khalid and several others accused in the alleged 2020 city riots "larger conspiracy" case. Pronouncing the decision, a Bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Shalinder Kaur said, "All the appeals are dismissed."

A copy of the detailed judgment is yet to be uploaded on the official website of the Delhi High Court. In July this year, the Justice Chawla-led Bench reserved its decision after hearing the oral submissions advanced on behalf of the accused individuals and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who appeared on behalf of the Delhi Police.

Opposing the bail pleas, Solicitor General Mehta, the second-highest law officer of the Centre, said that the long incarceration of the accused individuals should not be a ground for their release on bail pending trial since they were involved in a well-orchestrated criminal conspiracy to put the entire country to shame ahead of the visit of US President Donald Trump in 2020.