Overview

• The Delhi High Court reserved its judgment on bail applications by Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, Tasleem Ahmed and seven others accused of orchestrating the February 2020 Northeast Delhi riots
• Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the bench that the violence was a well-orchestrated criminal conspiracy aimed at defaming India globally and that prolonged detention alone cannot justify bail under UAPA
• Defense lawyers highlighted the five-year delay in framing charges despite roughly 700 witnesses and cited parity with co-accused Devangana Kalita, Asif Iqbal Tanha and Natasha Narwal who won bail in 2021
• The extensive case rests on a 17,000-page chargesheet accusing student activists and political figures under UAPA and multiple IPC provisions of masterminding communal violence
• Judges expressed concern over half-decade of pretrial custody and questioned how long accused can remain jailed when arguments on charge remain unfinished