Hurried trial detrimental to accused also: Delhi High Court in order denying bail to Sharjeel Imam, Umar Khalid

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday observed that a hurried trial in the Delhi Riots conspiracy case would be detrimental to both the accused and the State.

A Division Bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Shalinder Kaur noted that the Delhi Police has filed a chargesheet running into 3,000 pages, with an additional 30,000 pages of electronic evidence.

The Court recorded that the police had carried out a detailed investigation, leading to the arrest of several people and, in such a background, "the pace of the trial will progress naturally".

"A hurried trial would also be detrimental to the rights of both the Appellants and the State. The parties have informed this Court that the trial is currently at the stage of hearing arguments on the framing of charges, thus, it indicates that the case is progressing," the Court observed.

The lawyers appearing for the accused had cited delay in the trial as one of the major reasons to grant them bail.

The observations were made by the Court while denying bail to Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, Mohd Saleem Khan, Shifa Ur Rehman, Athar Khan, Meeran Haider, Shadab Ahmed, Abdul Khalid Saifi and Gulfisha Fatima in the Delhi riots conspiracy case.

The accused have been booked under Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) in the case.

In a detailed judgement passed today, the Court noted that Umar Khalid delivered speeches in Amravati which coincided with the visit of US President Donald Trump, and the same cannot be lightly brushed aside.

It further observed that Imam and Khalid's role is grave in the entire conspiracy and they delivered "inflammatory speeches on communal lines to instigate a mass mobilization of members of the Muslim Community".

"The probative value of the evidence against the Appellants Sharjeel Imam and Umar Khalid, prima facie and at this stage, cannot be branded as weak," the Court added.

[Read Judgment]