The Delhi Police on Wednesday opposing the bail pleas of Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, and others before the Delhi High Court, asserting that there was no attempt on its part to delay the trial court proceedings in the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) case against them in the 2020 Delhi riots case.
The police also argued that the right to a speedy trial was “not a free pass.”
Prolonged incarceration not sufficient reason to grant bail: Cops
- The prosecution said that the right to a speedy trial is not a free pass. The right of society must prevail over the right of the individual.
- Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Chetan Sharma said long incarceration of undertrials alone could not be a ground for bail when facts demonstrated their involvement. He urged the court to consider the “intent” of the accused and the ‘loss of life’ in the 2020 Delhi riots.
A bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Shalinder Kaur heard arguments from Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Chetan Sharma and Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) Amit Prasad, who maintained that the delay in proceedings should be attributed to the accused.
“The trial court records do not suggest any attempt on the part of the prosecution to delay the matter, rather the boot is squarely and surely on the other leg,” ASG Sharma contended.
This story was originally published in tribuneindia.com. Read the full story here.
