New Delhi, Jan 5 (IANS) Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Monday welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision to refuse bail to student activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the alleged “larger conspiracy” case linked to the 2020 Delhi riots. "We welcome the Court’s decision to reject the bail pleas of Delhi riots accused Sharjeel Imam and Umar Khalid. Those who pushed Delhi into the flames of riots should receive the strictest punishment. Political parties that supported such rioters should also get a strong message and be held accountable," CM Gupta told reporters in the Delhi Assembly complex.

The BJP described the Supreme Court's stand on the bail plea as an important reaffirmation of judicial independence which was challenged by “urban Naxals and Islamist sympathisers” through pressure tactics. Amit Malviya, in-charge of BJP’s National Information and Technology Department, said in a social media post, “The Supreme Court’s decision to deny bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the 2020 Delhi riots ‘larger conspiracy’ case marks an important reaffirmation of judicial independence.”

The court has found, prima facie, that material exists indicating their involvement in a criminal conspiracy under the UAPA, he said. “At the same time, it granted bail to five other accused, but only under stringent conditions, clearly underscoring that culpability must be assessed on a case-by-case basis. In doing so, the court accepted the Delhi Police’s argument that all accused cannot be treated as standing on the same footing,” said Malviya. “This ruling should send an unambiguous message to the cabal of urban Naxals and Islamist sympathisers who believed that pressure tactics, whether through letters from an upstart mayor or foreign legislators, could sway India’s judicial process,” he said.

“For the opposition, the lesson is even clearer: seeking foreign intervention in India’s internal matters is not only counterproductive but steadily erodes whatever credibility they may still possess. The usual suspects may continue to whine, but their visible misery speaks for itself,” said Malviya.

Earlier pronouncing the judgment, an Apex Court Bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and Prasanna B. Varale said that the prosecution material disclosed a prima facie case against Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, thereby attracting the statutory bar to bail under Section 43D(5) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). At this juncture, the Justice Kumar-led Bench observed that the prosecution evidence and other material "does not justify their enlargement on bail”, adding that the record suggested their involvement at the level of planning, mobilisation and issuance of strategic directions.