Custody of Delhi riots accused Khalid and Imam extended

Judicial custody of Delhi violence accused Omar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam extended till 23 November. The case against the duo pertains to a 'conspiracy' to incite the riots, which had left 53 people dead and 748 injured.

New Delhi: A Delhi Court on Friday extended the judicial custody of JNU scholar Umar Khalid and research scholar Sharjeel Imam, accused in the Delhi riots case, till November 23.

Both the accused, arrested under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, were produced before Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat through video conferencing at the end of their judicial remand.

The case against the duo pertains to a 'conspiracy' to incite the riots, which had left 53 people dead and 748 injured. In the case filed against Khalid, the police had claimed that the communal violence was a premeditated conspiracy allegedly hatched by Khalid and others.

On November 6, the Delhi government had given sanction to Delhi Police for the prosecution of Khalid. On receiving prosecution sanction against Khalid from Delhi government as well as Home Ministry, the Delhi Police can now name him in their supplementary chargesheet.

To prosecute the accused under Section 13 of the UAPA, the Delhi Police needed sanction from the MHA and under Sections 16, 17 and 18 from the Delhi government.

The Delhi Police has filed a 17,500-page chargesheet against 15 persons for "propagating violence" during the riots. The chargesheet was filed under the UAPA, Arms Act, and the Indian Penal Code.

(IANS)