2020 Delhi Riots Larger Conspiracy Case: Order on bail pleas of Umar Khalid, 7 others reserved
A bench of Justices Naveen Chawla and Shalinder Kaur reserved the bail pleas of Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, Gulfisha Fatima, Mohd Saleem Khan, Shifa ur Rehman, Athar Khan and Khalid Saifi while another bench of Justices Subramonium Prasad and Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar reserved the bail plea of Tasleem Ahmed. The bench of Justices Chawla and Kaur will hear Shadab Ahmad's bail plea on Thursday.
Notably, Saifi, Fatima, Mohd Saleem Khan and Shifa ur Rehman had completed arguments for bail twice earlier before two HC benches. However, the judges, after being appointed as Chief Justices of other HCs, did not deliver their verdict.
This comes a day after a HC bench had orally remarked, 'for how long can a person be kept in jail', while hearing a plea by Tasleem Ahmed, who was arrested by the Delhi Police Special Cell in June 2020 under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The HC had noted that 'five years have gone by', and yet the arguments on the charge remain to be completed.
Further, CJI B R Gavai, delivering a lecture on July 6, had said, 'In the recent past, this principle (of bail is the rule and jail is the exception) was somewhat forgotten. I am happy to state that I had the opportunity in the last year, 2024, to reiterate this legal principle in the cases of Prabir Purkayastha, Manish Sisodia, and Kavita vs ED.'
On Wednesday, arguing against the bail pleas, the Delhi Police – represented by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta – told the bench of Justices Chawla and Kaur: 'Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam were preparing to divide the nation, cutting the nation on the basis of religion… They are all acting in concert, Gufisha, Umar, everyone – they are in touch with each other by the WhatsApp group and conspiracy is taking place…'
'In cases involving anti-national activities, long incarceration is not a factor. This is an attack on the sovereignty of the country. By attacking the National Capital, it would have an effect on the entire country. If you are doing something against the nation, you better be in jail till you are acquitted or convicted… Long incarceration is certainly a ground (for bail) but not in such matters where you are ensuring that the country bleeds violence and wanting to break the country in two parts.'
Mehta further said, 'I want to show what the intellectuals are doing, dividing the nation on religious lines. Imam had delivered a speech indicating a four-week timeline for executing (the conspiracy)… They (petitioners) showed a narrative that intellectual are in jail. Their intention was to divide the nation on religious lines. This is not a spontaneous riot… The intention was to cause national embarrassment at global level. 24 February 2020 was the day of US President visit… There was clear unambiguous intention of putting entire nation to shame by doing something in the National Capital…'
The police probe in the case was 'one of the finest investigations' which had been carried out, he added.
The accused are facing allegations of pre-planned conspiracy to allegedly cause riots in East Delhi between February 23, 2020 and February 25, 2020.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Indian Express
34 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Discrimination against SC community remains: Kerala High Court
KOCHI: The Kerala High Court has observed that despite protective provisions for Scheduled Caste communities in the Constitution and laws like the SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, discrimination and ostracisation against them have not been fully eradicated. Justice V G Arun said the Scheduled Castes in India have faced systemic ignominy like exclusion, untouchability and violence rooted in centuries-old caste hierarchy. They had restricted access to resources, land and quality education. Still, the discrimination continues. 'One cannot be oblivious of the fact that the tolerance level of persons from vulnerable sections will not be the same as that of those who have not suffered any such ignominy. To put it pithily, only the wearer knows where the shoe pinches,' the court said. The HC made the remarks while dismissing a petition filed by C K Kusuman, former principal of DB College in Kottayam's Keezhoor, seeking to quash the case against him for allegedly making casteist remarks against an assistant professor in 2022. Advocate Thomas J Anakkallunkal, the assistant professor's counsel, said the principal made the comments with the deliberate intention of insulting him by reason of his parentage. The remarks were made during the staff meeting of the college, the counsel said. The court said the question of whether the insulting remark made inside the hall can be perceived as something done within public view can only be decided based on evidence, and the HC cannot conduct a mini-trial or microscopic scrutiny of documents.
New Indian Express
an hour ago
- New Indian Express
Mobile phone surgically removed from stomach of Shivamogga jail inmate
SHIVAMOGGA : A mobile phone was surgically removed from the stomach of a convict at Shivamogga Central Prison, prompting a police investigation into how the prohibited item was smuggled into the facility. The convict has been identified as Dhawlath alias Gundu (30), son of Jabbar Sab. He has been serving a 10-year sentence under the NDPS Act since June 15 last year and has been lodged at Shivamogga Central Prison. Chief Superintendent Ranganath P lodged a complaint against Dhawlath at Tunga Nagara police station in this regard under section 42 of the Karnataka Prisons (Amendment) Act-2022. At around 8 pm on June 24, Dhawlath approached the prison hospital, claiming he had swallowed a stone. Prison authorities transported him in an ambulance to McGann District Hospital for further treatment. Doctors at the hospital conducted an X-ray but initially found nothing in his stomach. Later, he was taken to the hospital again on June 26 and underwent a second X-ray, which revealed the presence of a foreign object in his stomach. The hospital recommended surgical removal. After obtaining Dhawlath's written consent, doctors performed surgery and extracted a mobile phone measuring approximately 1 inch in width and 3 inches in length. The phone was identified as a KECHAODA-brand device, without a battery or SIM card. The phone was handed over to prison authorities in a sealed envelope on July 8. As mobile phones are classified as prohibited items inside the prison, the chief superintendent lodged a complaint seeking a detailed investigation into how the device was brought inside, bypassing prison security. Ranganath told The New Indian Express that it is unclear when the convict swallowed the phone, whether when he was taken out for hospital visits or other procedural purposes, or if he swallowed it in panic when prison authorities or the police raided the prison for inspection. 'The police will question Dhawlath based on my complaint. The police investigation will reveal the truth of how and when he swallowed the phone,' he said.
The Print
2 hours ago
- The Print
Delhi Police busts 2 car-jacking syndicates; 7 held, SUV among vehicles recovered
'Coordinated operations were conducted by the Delhi Police in Delhi and Siliguri, West Bengal, following a specific intelligence input about stolen vehicles being transported across states,' Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Vikram Singh said. With the arrests, police claimed to have solved at least eight car-theft cases reported from different parts of the capital. Tools used for dismantling vehicles and high-security registration plates were also seized during the operation, they said. New Delhi, Jul 12 (PTI) The Delhi Police has busted two inter-state car-jacking syndicates operating across Delhi-NCR and beyond, arrested seven autolifters and recovered four stolen vehicles, including an SUV, an officer said on Saturday. In the first operation, police tracked the delivery of a stolen sports utility vehicle (SUV) to Siliguri. The vehicle, along with two other cars, was recovered after an interception, leading to the arrest of four accused — Kaiminlen Haokip (26) hailing from Manipur's Churachandpur, Mohammad Jaani (42) of Uttar Pradesh, Mohammad Dildar (36) and Arjun (29), both natives of Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh. Police said Haokip worked as a driver for Jumma Khan, a key receiver of stolen vehicles who is currently absconding. Dildar, a former truck driver familiar with northeastern routes, had earlier worked as a delivery boy for Khan but later, became a direct purchaser of stolen cars from Jaani. Jaani, police said, is a seasoned autolifter with 11 cases to his name. He specialised in stealing SUVs and operated with Nepal-based associates. He reportedly received advance orders from Dildar for specific models and sold each stolen Mahindra Thar car for Rs 2 lakh. Arjun, who runs a number-plate shop in Sambhal, allegedly provided the gang with high-security registration plates to mask the identity of the stolen vehicles. The stolen SUV was being transported to Manipur. It was intercepted in Siliguri with Haokip and Dildar inside. Based on their interrogation, the remaining members of the gang were identified and apprehended, police said. In a separate operation, three more auto-lifters — Rohit (27), Rajender (46) and Satbir – all residents of west Delhi, were arrested for their role in dismantling stolen vehicles. During the raid, police recovered a stolen vehicle, four chassis plates, multiple body parts from dismantled vehicles and specialised tools used in the process. Satbir, originally from Punjab's Amritsar, was the mastermind behind the gang and had previous involvement in similar cases across Delhi, Haryana and Rajasthan. He was released from the Panipat Jail in 2022, officials said. 'The gang had a simple modus operandi. It identified target vehicles, parked those in isolated areas and then dismantled those over time. The parts were sold in the grey market, particularly in Mayapuri,' the DCP said. Police said further investigation is underway to track down other members of the gang, including the absconding handler, Jumma Khan. PTI SSJ RC This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
