New Delhi- The Supreme Court on Monday issued notices on the bail pleas of Sharjeel Imam, Umar Khalid, Meeran Haider, and Gulfisha Fatima -- all accused in the 2020 Delhi riots "larger conspiracy case" and booked under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). A bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and N.V. Anjaria sought a response from the Delhi Police and posted the matter for hearing on October 7.

Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing the petitioners, submitted that the student activists have been languishing in jail for the last five years. He added that an application for interim bail had also been filed on the petitioners’ behalf. At this, the Justice Aravind Kumar-led Bench remarked that the apex court will expeditiously dispose of the main matter itself. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, urging for an earlier date, submitted: "(List) before Diwali, so that they can be out by Diwali. They have all been there for more than five years."

Earlier, the Delhi High Court had denied bail to several activists and student leaders in connection with the alleged larger conspiracy behind the Delhi riots. In its order passed on September 2, a Bench of Justices Shalinder Kaur and Navin Chawla observed, prima facie, that there was sufficient material on record to suggest that Imam and Khalid had masterminded the conspiracy. The Justice Shalinder Kaur-led Bench noted that Khalid and Imam had delivered inflammatory speeches on February 24, 2020, coinciding with the then US President Donald Trump's state visit, which the prosecution alleged was deliberately timed to trigger riots on February 23-24 and draw international attention.

"The alleged inflammatory and provocative speeches delivered by the appellants, when considered in totality, prima facie indicate their role in the alleged conspiracy," the Delhi High Court said. In relation to Haider, it noted that she allegedly provided funds to the Alumni Association of Jamia Millia Islamia (AAJMI), where meetings of the JMI Coordination Committee (JCC) were held. The Justice Shalinder Kaur-led bench further noted the prosecution's submission that the completion of the investigation against Haider did not constitute a material change in circumstances to justify bail, citing pending witness examination and the gravity of the alleged conspiracy.

According to the prosecution, Fatima used code words to instruct protesters to undertake actions in furtherance of the alleged conspiracy and received funds for it. The February 2020 Delhi riots, which broke out during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC), left 53 people dead and more than 700 injured. (IANS)