Delhi Riots Larger Conspiracy Case: Delhi Court Extends Judicial Custody Of Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam And Others Till 1st March 2021

Amitabh Rawat, Additional Sessions Judge, on Tuesday extended the judicial custody of Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam and others in the Delhi riots conspiracy case (FIR 59/2020) till 1st March 2021. The Delhi police have been investigating "a larger conspiracy" behind the New Delhi riots that broke out in February last year.

In September last year, main chargesheet was filed against Pinjara Tod members and JNU students Devangana Kalita and Natasha Narwal, Jamia Millia Islamia, student Asif Iqbal Tanha and student activist Gulfisha Fatima.

Others who were charge-sheeted included former Congress Councillor Ishrat Jahan, Jamia Coordination Committee members Safoora Zargar, Meeran Haider and Shifa-Ur-Rehman, suspended AAP Councillor Tahir Hussain, activist Khalid Saifi, Shadab Ahmed, Tasleem Ahmed, Salim Malik, Mohd Salim Khan and Athar Khan.

Thereafter, a supplementary chargesheet was filed in November against former JNU student leader Umar Khalid and JNU student Sharjeel Imam in a case related to the alleged larger conspiracy in the communal violence in northeast Delhi in February.

The FIR contains stringent charges including sec. 13, 16, 17, 18 of the UAPA, sec. 25 and 27 of the Arms Act and sec. 3 and 4 of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act,1984. The accused persons are also charged under various offences of Indian Penal Code, 1860.

The Delhi High Court in November last year had stayed the trial of FIR 59. A single judge bench of Justice Suresh Kumar Kait had ordered the stay after the Delhi Police's challenge to the order passed by the trial court directing it for providing physical copies of charge sheet to the accused persons.

Amongst the 18 accused persons named in the FIR, Safoora Zargar and Faizan Khan are presently out on bail. However, the other accused persons still remain in the custody.

The matter will be heard on 1st March 2021 through video conferencing in the presence of all the accused.

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