New Delhi: With Delhi High Court dismissing the bail pleas of nine accused in the larger conspiracy case in the 2020 Delhi riots, the focus now shifts to the proceedings before the trial court in which trial is yet to begin. The case, which is at the stage of framing charges, is being heard by the court of additional sessions judge Sameer Bajpai.The special cell of Delhi Police arrested 18 accused under provisions of the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Indian Penal Code. Of them, 12 are still in jail.The FIR in the matter was lodged on March 6, 2020. Five chargesheets were filed between Sept 16, 2020 and June 7, 2023. In Sept 2024, the cell informed the court that the investigation in the matter was completed.Meanwhile, Umar Khalid is likely to argue his case through a lawyer before a Delhi court on Wednesday. Khalid was named as the ‘mastermind’ in the case by the prosecution.With chargesheets of over 22,000 pages and a total of 18 accused, the submissions are taking time, said the lawyers associated with the case.Advocate Ahmed Ibrahim, counsel for Sharjeel Imam, said, “Given the voluminous records as well as the number of accused in the matter, submissions are taking time. All we want is progress of the case at a proper pace.”However, the prosecution alleged that the accused are not ready to make submissions, delaying the trial.Special public prosecutor Amit Prasad, who is appearing for the cell in the case, told TOI, “A bare perusal of the order sheets clearly indicates that counsels for the accused have taken many adjournments during arguments on charge. The order sheets also show that the counsels for the accused were not ready to argue the matter on charge, protracting the proceedings. Undoubtedly, a speedy trial is a concomitant and a facet of Article 21 of the Constitution of India. However, to ask for bail after there has been a systematic delay in trial on the part of the accused is not acceptable. The fact that the accused has completed his arguments on charge alone would not entitle him to bail at this juncture on the grounds of delay in trial.”The prosecution has alleged that the accused persons wanted to escalate the protest to a chakka jam once critical mass was generated when the then US President Donald Trump visited Delhi in 2020, and their goal was to spread communal violence.The prosecution has relied on WhatsApp chats where the protests are allegedly being planned, CCTV footage where some of the accused can be seen destroying property, and statements of protected witnesses who revealed the involvement of the accused persons in the conspiracy.
