The Delhi High Court, on Tuesday, expressed its impatience with the prolonged bail hearings of Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, and others implicated in the February 2020 riots under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Justices Navin Chawla and Shalinder Kaur insisted that the police specify the roles attributed to each accused in the alleged conspiracy behind the violence, which claimed 53 lives and left several injured.
“This has to end. This can’t go on like this.. This needs to end now. We can’t give you endless time,” Justice Chawla remarked, signaling the court’s frustration with the extended duration of the proceedings. Special public prosecutor Amit Prasad requested additional time to prepare a detailed note clarifying each accused’s involvement, highlighting that the appeals are complex, given they challenge trial court orders denying bail.
The proceedings reflect the case’s intricacies, where the police and prosecution have argued that the accused were not mere participants but the architects of a premeditated conspiracy that escalated into widespread violence during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC). According to Prasad, the violence was a direct outcome of inflammatory speeches and strategic planning by the accused, including “cutting the chicken neck” rhetoric by Imam aimed at blocking access to Assam and challenging the sovereignty of India.
