Owaisi Slams Congress After Supreme Court Denies Bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam

New Delhi: The political temperature in the country has soared following a key Supreme Court decision last Monday, which denied bail to Delhi riot accused Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, both of whom are currently in jail. The case, deeply intertwined with communal narratives, has sparked intense debate across political circles.

AIMIM Chief Targets Congress
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi strongly criticized the Congress party over the development. He highlighted that the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA)—under which the bail applications were denied—was amended during the UPA government, adding provisions to the definition of terrorism that he had previously questioned in Parliament. In 2007–08, Owaisi had asked about the meaning of phrases such as “in any other manner, of whatever nature” in the context of UAPA.

Owaisi pointed out that Congress itself had enacted the law and had warned about its potential misuse. “Today, based on this very law, two young men are being denied bail, one of whom has already been in jail for over five and a half years,” he said. He further questioned whether any Congress leader had ever spent one, two, or five-and-a-half years in jail after independence.

Concerns Over Minority Arrests
Speaking in the Lok Sabha, Owaisi referred to Clause 43D, noting that under UAPA, detainees can be held for up to 180 days before a chargesheet is filed. He claimed that in practice, minority suspects are often subjected to prolonged pre-charge detention, highlighting the gap between law and reality. “There is a significant difference between truth and expectation,” he remarked, emphasizing that biases within law enforcement often influence such cases.

Bail Under UAPA is Rare
Owaisi explained that UAPA is a stringent anti-terror law designed to deal with cases related to terrorism. Sections of the law make it extremely difficult to obtain bail, especially if the accused is charged with involvement in terrorist activities or related offenses. Courts, he noted, have the authority to refuse bail if allegations are deemed credible, giving the government strong powers to act against suspected individuals.