Supreme Court: On Monday, the Supreme Court will rule on the bail requests of seven defendants in the claimed “larger conspiracy” case connected to the 2020 Delhi riots, including student activists Sharjeel Imam and Umar Khalid.

Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa-ur-Rehman, Shadab Ahmed, and Mohd have all submitted bail requests.

A bench consisting of Justices Aravind Kumar and Prasanna B. Varale will render the decision on Monday, according to the caselist posted on the Apex Court’s website.

Saleem Khan has been detained for almost five years after being charged under the strict Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

The Supreme Court had previously reserved its decision on the group of special leave petitions (SLPs) that contested the Delhi High Court’s denial of bail to the defendants in the 2020 riots “larger conspiracy” case on December 10.

The Justice Kumar-led Bench heard both parties and instructed the prosecution and petitioners to submit any further supporting documentation by December 18.

Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta, speaking on behalf of the Delhi Police, had opposed the bail requests, arguing that the violence was a “well-designed, well-crafted, orchestrated and preplanned” assault on the nation’s sovereignty rather than an impromptu intercommunal conflict.Using speeches, WhatsApp conversations, and other documents, the SG had claimed that there had been a “clear and discernible attempt to divide the society on communal lines” and that the violence had not been spontaneous.

He had maintained that since the defendants were “not cooperating” and “each of them argued for 4-5 days for opposing framing of charges,” the trial processes had been delayed.Now, the procedure is to postpone the trial rather than get into the merits and say, “Give me bail,” in any situation where it is tough to defend on the facts. This has turned into a trend, SG Mehta continued.

Khalid, Imam, and a number of other defendants in the case had already had their bail requests denied by the Delhi High Court on September 2 of last year, citing a prima facie case under the UAPA against them.