Due to the lack of counsel for both parties, the Supreme Court postponed the hearing on activist Umar Khalid’s bail request in the Delhi Riots conspiracy case on Wednesday. [State of the NCT of Delhi v. Abdul Khalid]
The hearing was postponed by a bench of Justices Bela M. Trivedi and Satish Chandra Sharma because Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, who was representing Khalid, and Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, who was representing the Delhi Police, were not available. Next week is when the bench suggests listing the subject. However, the Court postponed the case until January since Sibal will be appearing before a Constitution Bench.
Khalid has petitioned the highest court to overturn a Delhi High Court ruling from October 2022 that denied him bail. In September 2020, the Delhi Police detained him and accused him of violating the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) by engaging in criminal conspiracy, rioting, and unlawful assembly, among other charges. Since then, he has stayed incarcerated.
In March 2022, a Karkardooma court denied him bail. Khalid subsequently petitioned the High Court, which likewise turned down his request for relief, leading to the appeal to the highest court. The Delhi Police received notice from the Supreme Court regarding the bail request in May of this year. The Bench, considering the case, said in July that the session would end in two minutes.
Judge Prashant Kumar Mishra declined to hear the plea in August. The case was postponed until August 18 in order to be scheduled for a non-miscellaneous day—Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Thursdays—during which in-depth hearings are held.
