The Delhi Police on Friday vehemently objected to pleas for bail filed by former Jawaharlal Nehru University student leader Umar Khalid and others accused under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in the 2020 Delhi riots ‘larger conspiracy’ case, claiming that they only cite the Constitution for the sake of getting bail.
“These are people with scant regard for the Constitution. Only for bail, they will quote Article 21 (fundamental right to life and personal liberty) of the Constitution,” said Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju, appearing for the Delhi Police. He was addressing a Supreme Court Bench headed by Justice Aravind Kumar in the concluding remarks of his response to the bail petitions.
Umar Khalid verdict raises questions about judicial discretion overruling bail even after long incarceration
Mr. Raju said the prosecution could complete the trial in two years if the accused did not delay the process. Khalid and others have blamed the police for delaying the trial, and sought bail on the grounds that they have been incarcerated for the past five years as undertrials. Mr. Raju countered, saying that the accused were deliberately orchestrating the delay of the criminal proceedings to use it as a ground to get bail.
