Overview
- On September 2, a bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Shalinder Kaur rejected bail for Imam, Umar Khalid and seven others in the ‘larger conspiracy’ case, while a coordinate bench separately denied relief to co-accused Tasleem Ahmed.
- The High Court applied Section 43D(5) of the UAPA, treating the accusations as prima facie true based on protected-witness statements and cumulative circumstantial material such as speeches, WhatsApp chats, pamphlets and videos.
- The court described the alleged roles of Imam and Khalid as grave and held that parity with previously bailed co-accused was not established.
- Defense lawyers cite more than five years of custody and stalled proceedings to argue violations of the right to a speedy trial, with Kapil Sibal announcing plans to challenge the denials before the Supreme Court.
- The prosecution attributed delays to adjournments by accused, a position the High Court noted while saying the trial is progressing at a natural pace; Imam’s Supreme Court petition has been filed and is awaiting listing.