“JNU Protesters Target PM After Bail Denial for Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam”

Controversial slogans targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi were raised at Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on Monday following the Supreme Court’s refusal to grant bail to student activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam.

The two have been in jail for over five years in connection with a “larger conspiracy” case linked to the 2020 Delhi riots. Sources said the slogans, some referencing coffins and the Prime Minister, were raised by students at JNU’s Sabarmati Hostel. Danish, joint secretary of the Left-backed JNU Students’ Union (JNUSU), and Sunil, its secretary, were reportedly present. Other Left-aligned student groups also participated.

Khalid and Imam were previously active in Left-backed protests at JNU, along with former students Kanhaiya Kumar and Shehla Rashid, who have since moved on.

A Supreme Court bench comprising Justices Aravind Kumar and Prasanna B. Varale noted that the prosecution material presented a prima facie case against Khalid and Imam, invoking the statutory bar to bail under Section 43D(5) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The bench stated that the evidence suggested their involvement in planning, mobilization, and issuing strategic directions, and therefore, bail was not justified.

Bail was granted to five other accused in the case—Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa Ur Rehman, Mohd Saleem Khan, and Shadab Ahmed—who had also challenged the Delhi High Court’s earlier rejection of their bail applications.

The court highlighted that each accused must be assessed individually. “Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam stand on a qualitatively different footing compared to other accused,” the bench said, citing differences in the hierarchy of participation in the alleged conspiracy.