Former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Mehbooba Mufti. file photo
State Bureau, Srinagar. Former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir and President of the People's Democratic Party, Mehbooba Mufti on Monday expressed strong objection to the denial of bail to Umar Khalid, accused in the 2020 Delhi riots case. Describing the denial of bail by the Supreme Court as a travesty of justice, he said that Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim, convicted of rape, is given parole again and again.
It is noteworthy that the Supreme Court bench of Justice Arvind Kumar and NV Anjaria has refused to grant bail to activists Omar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case.
However, the court granted bail to five other accused and said that all the accused in the case do not fall on the same footing. Prima facie, a case is made out against Umar Khalid and Imam under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).
People's Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti, while expressing her reaction regarding this matter on her X handle, has written, what a travesty of justice this is. On one hand, Gurmeet Singh, convicted of rape and murder, is getting parole again and again.
On the other hand, Umar Khalid, who is the only accused and is yet to be tried, has been languishing in jail for more than five years and today even the Supreme Court has refused to grant him bail. The scale of justice is breaking under the burden of injustice. It is noteworthy that in the riots in North-East Delhi in February 2020, 53 people were killed and more than 700 were injured.