On May 20, 2022, the Delhi High Court issued notice on the appeal filed by Meeran Haider challenging the Trial Court order denying him bail in connection with a case alleging larger conspiracy into the Delhi riots of 2020, involving charges under Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), reported LiveLaw.
A division bench comprising Justices Mukta Gupta and Mini Pushkarna granted four weeks’ time to the prosecution for filing status report in the matter and further three weeks’ time for filing the rejoinder. Accordingly, the matter has been listed for hearing on July 21.
During the hearing today, counsel appearing for the respondent, Special Public Prosecutor Amit Prasad asked the bench if the case would be transferred to the same bench headed by Justice Siddharth Mridul as in the case of Umar Khalid, reported Bar and Bench. However, Justice Gupta denied any such transfer and reportedly reasoned that Khalid’s case was transferred because it was a part heard matter while this case is a fresh appeal.
On April 5, 2022, Meeran Haider was denied bail by Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat of Delhi’s Karkardooma Court under Section 43D of UAPA and Section 437 CrPC as he found that the accusations against Meera Haider were prima facie true.
An FIR was filed against him charging him with sections 13, 16, 17, 18 of UAPA; sections 25 and 27 of the Arms Act; Sections 3 and 4 of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984 and various offences under the Indian Penal Code.
Meeran Haider, is a PhD scholar and has also been the President of the Rashtriya Janata Dal Delhi Unit. He had led a number of peaceful anti-CAA protests in the capital. Haider was summoned to the Special Cell Police Station, Lodhi Road on April 1, 2020, asking him to reach the police station for investigation purposes. He was questioned there for almost all day and then arrested the same day by the Special Cell under FIR No. 59/2020.
Many such scholars, student activists and human rights defenders have been chargesheeted such as Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, Khalid Saifi, Tahir Hussain, Gulfisha Fatima and many more.
Former Congress Councillor Ishrat Jahan had been recently granted bail.
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