New Delhi, 29 January: The Karkardooma Court in Delhi has refused to grant bail to three accused in the 2020 Delhi riots case. Among those denied bail is former councillor Tahir Hussain, along with Salim Malik and Athar Khan. The court described the case as serious and declined to provide relief to the accused. The hearing took place before Additional Sessions Judge Sameer Vajpayee.
The three accused had sought bail on the grounds of parity after the Supreme Court granted bail to five other accused in the same case. However, their petition was rejected. All three are facing charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
Earlier, on 5 January, the Supreme Court had refused bail to accused Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the Delhi riots case, while granting bail to five other accused subject to twelve conditions. The bench of Justices Arvind Kumar and N.V. Anjaria ruled that Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam cannot file another bail plea for one year.
The Supreme Court had reserved its judgment on 10 December after hearing arguments from the accused and Delhi Police. It decided that continuous imprisonment was not necessary for other accused — Gulfisha Fatima, Miran Haider, Shifa Ur Rehman, Mohammad Salim Khan, and Shadab Ahmed — and approved their bail.
The court further stated that if the trial witness testimony is not completed within one year, the accused may approach the lower court again for bail.
It is noteworthy that earlier, the Karkardooma Court had granted interim bail to Umar Khalid from 16 December to 29 December for his sister’s wedding. This bail came with strict conditions, including a ban on social media use, no contact with witnesses, and allowing meetings only with family members, relatives, and close friends. He was also required to surrender by the evening of 29 December.
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MS/DKP