Rajdeep Sardesai Criticises SC Bail Denial to Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam

New Delhi: Senior journalist Rajdeep Sardesai has criticised the Supreme Court’s decision denying bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case, drawing attention to a troubling contrast in the criminal justice system.

In a post on social media platform X, Sardesai pointed out that Umar Khalid continues to remain in jail even though the trial has not begun more than five years after his arrest. He contrasted this with the repeated parole granted to Gurmeet Ram Rahim, who has been convicted in rape and murder cases and has been allowed out of prison multiple times since his conviction in 2017.

“So no bail to Umar Khalid, says the Supreme Court. No personal liberty under UAPA, despite the fact that the trial has not begun even after more than five years. Meanwhile, rape and murder convict Ram Rahim has been granted parole once again. Before this, the VVIP convict has been out of prison 14 times since his conviction in 2017. This is India’s criminal justice system,” Sardesai wrote.

Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, both student activists, have been in jail for over five years without trial. They were among nine people arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in connection with the violence that occurred in parts of northeast Delhi in February 2020. The police have maintained that the incidents were part of a larger conspiracy.

Sharjeel Imam was first arrested in January 2020 in connection with speeches made during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act and was later taken into custody in the conspiracy case in August that year. Umar Khalid was arrested in September 2020.

Citing their prolonged detention, both Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam had approached the Supreme Court seeking bail. On Monday, the apex court rejected their pleas under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. At the same time, the court granted bail to five other accused in the case — Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa Ur Rehman, Mohd Saleem Khan, and Shadab Ahmad.