The Supreme Court on Wednesday scheduled the hearing in a plea for bail filed by former JNU student leader Umar Khalid on July 24 after the Delhi police sought an adjournment.
A Bench led by Justice A.S. Bopanna initially fixed the date on July 21, but the police counsel said Monday was usually busy in court and sought a later date.
Justice Bopanna snubbed that it was for the court to gauge whether it would be busy or not and fix dates for hearings. At that point, the police counsel said the charge sheet in the case was “voluminous” and lawyers would need some time to prepare the case for arguments in the apex court.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, for Mr. Khalid, said his client had been in jail for two years. A hearing on his plea for personal liberty should not be delayed any longer.
Mr. Khalid is booked under the UAPA in a case linked to the February 2020 riots in the national capital. He is accused of being part of a “larger conspiracy” behind the communal violence.
The Delhi High Court had in October last year refused to grant bail to Mr. Khalid, saying he was in constant touch with other co-accused and allegations against him were prima facie true.
The High Court had said the acts of the accused prima facie qualified as “terrorist act” under the UAPA. The High Court had said the anti-CAA protests “metamorphosed into violent riots”, which “prima facie seemed to be orchestrated at the conspiratorial meetings”, and the statements of the witnesses indicate Mr. Khalid’s “active involvement” in the protests.
