SRINAGAR: The Supreme Court on Monday rejected bail pleas filed by student activists Sharjeel Imam and Umar Khalid, who had challenged a Delhi High Court order refusing them bail in a case registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in connection with the alleged larger conspiracy behind the 2020 Delhi riots.
The decision was delivered by a bench comprising Justices Aravind Kumar and NV Anjaria.
Umar Khalid was arrested in September 2020, while Sharjeel Imam, who was already lodged in jail at the time of the riots, is also an accused in the Delhi Police’s larger conspiracy case.
The February 2020 violence in Delhi claimed 53 lives, left hundreds injured, and caused widespread damage to property and businesses. Over the past five years, police investigations have focused on an alleged larger conspiracy, naming several student activists and local political figures associated with the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests, a probe that has drawn criticism at the international level.
