SC issues notice to Centre on Umar Khalid's plea challenging various provisions of UAPA

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday sought a response from the Centre on former JNU student Umar Khalid's plea challenging various provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

A bench of justices Aniruddha Bose and Bela M Trivedi also said it would hear similar petitions on the issue on November 22.

The top court said it would also hear Khalid's plea seeking bail in a case lodged under anti-terror law UAPA over his alleged involvement in the conspiracy behind the northeast Delhi riots of February 2020 on the same date.

'Let them all be taken together,' the bench said.

Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, and several others were booked under the anti-terror law UAPA and several provisions of the Indian Penal Code for allegedly being the 'masterminds' of the February 2020 riots, which left 53 people dead and over 700 injured.

Khalid, arrested by Delhi Police in September 2020, had sought bail on grounds that he neither had any criminal role in the violence nor any 'conspiratorial connect' with any other accused in the case.