"Of the 18 accused in the 2020 riots cases, 16 are Muslims; while ruling Bharatiya Janata Party leaders whose hate speeches preceded the violence, faced no charges. Neither Khalid nor Imam were even present in Delhi during the violence," Brinda Karat, senior Communist Party of India leader, told DW. Karat pointed out that Imam was already in custody and Khalid was elsewhere, but their absence was "perversely interpreted" as evidence of orchestration."
"This month, the Supreme Court denied bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, two activists accused in the 2020 Delhi riots case, while granting bail to five others charged in the same conspiracy. The two face accusations of inciting clashes in New Delhi that killed 53 people, most of them Muslims. They have now spent more than five years in prison without trial."
"UAPA reverses presumption of innocence Official data shows 10,440 people were arrested under UAPA between 2019 and 2023, but only 335 were convicted a 3.2% conviction rate. Most remain in jail, with the long, drawn-out legal process becoming an additional punishment."
Thousands of prisoners in India are trapped in legal limbo under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). Some accused in the 2020 Delhi riots have been jailed for more than five years without trial after recent Supreme Court bail decisions. The riots are linked to clashes that killed 53 people, most of them Muslims, and 16 of 18 accused are Muslim. Absence from Delhi has been interpreted as evidence of orchestration in certain cases. UAPA reverses the presumption of innocence, yields a low conviction rate, and produces lengthy pretrial detention. Successive anti-terror laws culminated in the strengthened UAPA.
Read at www.dw.com
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