The Supreme Court on Friday, September 19, adjourned till September 22, 2025, the hearing on the bail pleas of activists and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, Gulfisha Fatima and Meeran Haider in the UAPA case related to the alleged conspiracy behind the February 2020 Delhi riots. A bench of Justices Arvind Kumar and Manmohan adjourned the hearing.
The Delhi High Court had earlier denied them bail in the alleged conspiracy case registered under the UAPA. On September 2, the High Court rejected the bail pleas of nine accused, including Khalid and Imam, stating that conspiring to incite violence in the name of demonstration or protest cannot be permitted.
Also Read | SC adjourns hearing on bail pleas of Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam till Sep 22.
Others whose pleas were denied include Mohammad Salim Khan, Shifa-ur-Rehman, Athar Khan, Abdul Khalid Saifi, Gulfisha Fatima, Shadab Ahmed, and Meeran Haider. Another accused, Tasleem Ahmed, had his bail plea rejected by a different bench of the High Court on the same day.
The High Court observed that while the Constitution grants citizens the right to protest and demonstrate, such rights are valid only if exercised peacefully, without weapons, and within the ambit of law. The court added that unrestricted demonstrations could undermine the constitutional system and disturb law and order.
Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, and the other accused face charges under the UAPA and IPC for allegedly conspiring to incite the riots, which left 53 people dead and over 700 injured during protests against the CAA and NRC. All the accused have denied the charges and have been in jail since 2020.