By Admin 
The Supreme Court of India on Monday (5 January 2025) refused to grant bail to former student leaders Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam. After this decision came to light, discussion about the news started in the media of neighboring country Pakistan also. This issue has been prominently published by Pakistani newspaper The Dawn. He wrote, ‘The Supreme Court said in its order that staying in jail for a long time cannot in itself be a basis for bail. Umar Khalid has been in jail for more than five years and is accused of conspiring in the 2020 Delhi riots.
Umar Khalid, 38, was arrested in September 2020 under UAPA (stringent anti-terrorism law). Since his arrest, he has been under continuous detention, although he was allowed to attend family weddings for some time.
The matter is related to Delhi riots
This case is related to the Delhi communal riots of February 2020, in which 53 people died. Police allege that Umar Khalid gave inflammatory speeches before the riots and was involved in the conspiracy of violence. Many serious sections have been imposed on Umar Khalid. The Supreme Court also refused to grant bail to student leader Sharjeel Imam in the same case. However, the court has granted bail to 5 other accused in the same case.
Displeasure of human rights organizations
The case of Omar Khalid has also been a matter of concern for international human rights organizations. Seven organizations, including Amnesty International, had issued a statement in support of him in September and demanded his release. Amnesty had said that the long imprisonment of Omar Khalid raises serious questions on the justice system in India and it is against international human rights principles.
Also associated with CAA protests
Umar Khalid’s arrest came a few months after major protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). This law, brought in 2019, facilitates granting citizenship to non-Muslim minorities of three neighboring countries, but keeps Muslims out of it. In 2022, Umar Khalid wrote an open letter from jail, in which he said that we can be kept in jail for years without proving that we have committed any crime.
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