Supreme Court grants si month bail to two Delhi riots accused

Key points

• The Supreme Court on Friday granted interim bail of six months to two Delhi riots accused while referring to a larger bench the question of law on whether prolonged incarceration and delay in trial can override the statutory restrictions on bail.
• A bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and P B Varale refused to comment on the recent verdict given by a bench headed by Justice B V Nagarathna in which it criticised the January 5 verdict denying bail to activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam.
• The Delhi Police has sought reference of the question of law to a larger bench on whether prolonged incarceration and delay in trial can override the statutory restrictions on bail under anti-terror laws such as the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA).
• The bench justified the denial of bail to Khalid and Imam in the Delhi riots case, saying it was based on an accused-based...