Delhi’s Karkarduma court has dealt a major blow to student activists Omar Khalid and Charjeel Imam in the UAPA case related to the 2020 Delhi violence conspiracy. The court completely rejected the regular bail pleas of both the accused. The order was passed by Additional Sessions Judge of Karkarduma Court Sameer Bajpai. Earlier, the court reserved its verdict after hearing lengthy arguments by the Delhi Police and the counsel for the accused. Prosecutors sought leniency, citing long prison terms and the slow pace of cases, But the court refused to grant them bail.
During the hearing, Omar Khalid’s senior lawyer Trideep Paes told the court that the Supreme Court had earlier rejected the bail plea and said that Omar and Charjeel could not apply for fresh bail for a year or seek bail only after the testimony of the protected witnesses. He said that there was no significant progress in the trial of the case. No material has been seized against Omar Khalid and there is no evidence of his direct involvement in the violence. The record against him is mainly witness statements and videos of his speeches in Amravati.
Charzil Imam’s lawyer Talib Mostafa told the court that his client had been in jail for the past six years. The case is still in its early stages and shows no signs of ending soon. He told the court that some other accused have already been acquitted in the same case, Therefore, on the principle of equality, Charzil Imam should also be bailed. The court rejected the arguments of the two and ordered them to be kept in jail custody.