Opposing the bail pleas of activists Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, and others in the February 2020 riots case, the Delhi police told the Supreme Court on Thursday that when intellectuals become terrorists, they become more dangerous than those working on the ground.
Police said it had become a trend now for doctors and engineers to engage in anti-national activities.
The statement by the police assumes significance in the wake of the Delhi Red Fort blast and the unearthing of a 'white-collar terror network' that involves multiple doctors from Al Falah University in the Faridabad district of Haryana. Media reports had suggested that more than 200 doctors and staff at Al Falah University are under the scanner of the investigative agencies following the blast.
Appearing for the Delhi police, Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju told a bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and N.V. Anjaria that the delay in trial was attributable to the accused, and they cannot take advantage of it.
He showed in the apex court videos of Imam giving "inflammatory speeches" against the Citizenship Amendment Act. The videos showed him giving speeches at Chakhand, Jamia, Aligarh, and Asansol in 2019 and 2020 before the riots in February 2020 in Delhi.
Noting that Imam is an engineering graduate, the advocate said, "Nowadays there is a trend that doctors and engineers are not doing their professions but engaging in anti-national activities."
He further said, "It's not a simple protest. These are violent protests. They are talking about blockades."
Raju claimed that the CAA protests were a red herring, while the real purpose was regime change. "The riots were deliberately made to coincide with the visit of US President Donald Trump. These so-called intellectuals are more dangerous than the ground-level terrorists."
The Delhi Police argued that it was not something spontaneous but an "orchestrated, pre-planned, and well-designed" attack on the sovereignty of the nation. |
