New Delhi, Nov 24: The Supreme Court is slated to continue hearing on Monday the bail pleas of student leaders Sharjeel Imam, Umar Khalid, Meeran Haider, Gulfisha Fatima, and Shifa-ur-Rehman — all accused under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in the alleged “larger conspiracy” behind the 2020 North East Delhi riots.

As per the the causelist published on the apex court’s website, a Bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and N.V. Anjaria will continue to hear the submissions of the Delhi Police opposing bail.

In an earlier hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Delhi Police, had submitted that the 2020 violence was not a spontaneous communal clash but a “well-designed, well-crafted” attack on national sovereignty.

“Your lordships were told, there was a protest, and it resulted in communal riots. First of all, I would like the myth to be busted. This was not a spontaneous riot but well-designed, well-crafted, orchestrated, pre-planned, choreographed riots, and that will emerge from the evidence collected,” S-G Mehta submitted, claiming that evidence, including speeches and WhatsApp chats, revealed a “clear and discernible attempt to divide the society on communal lines”.

Referring specifically to Sharjeel Imam’s alleged statements, the Centre’s law officer had told the apex court: ‘He (Imam) says it is his heartfelt wish that there be a chakka jam in every city where Muslims reside.”

S-G Mehta also sought to place reliance on WhatsApp chats recovered by the Delhi Police, which allegedly show “how the property is to be damaged, how money is to be collected”, adding that it was “a systematic and synchronised attempt to divide the society and divide the nation”.

On Thursday, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) S.V. Raju, appearing for the Delhi Police, played before the top court video clips of Sharjeel Imam’s speeches as well as visuals of the 2020 riots.

ASG Raju submitted that the material revealed during the course of the investigation reflected a “clear, deliberate, and coordinated” attempt to provoke unrest. The Delhi Police, in its counter-affidavit, has described Umar Khalid as a “key conspirator” and “mentor” to others, including Imam, alleging that the conspiracy was pre-planned to coincide with the official visit of US President Donald Trump.

“This was done to draw the attention of ‘international media’ and to make the issue of CAA a global issue by portraying it as an act pogrom of the Muslim community in India. The issue of CAA was carefully chosen to serve as a ‘radicalising catalyst’ camouflaged in the name of ‘peaceful protest’,” the affidavit said.

Earlier, the Delhi High Court had rejected the bail pleas of all the accused.

Mumbai: The Mumbai Airport Customs officers on Sunday arrested a 26-year-old man for allegedly smuggling drugs worth around Rs 9 crore sourced from abroad. Interestingly, the accused had created a cavity in his trolley bag and had cleverly concealed drugs in it to avoid getting caught.

The arrested person has been identified as Ramiz Khan, a resident of Chennai.

According to the Customs sources, on the basis of specific intelligence, passenger Ramiz Khan was intercepted after he arrived at the international airport in Mumbai from Bangkok on Saturday. Thereafter, the Customs officers carried out a search of the trolley bag carried by the passenger. The said trolley bag was stuffed with clothes, chocolates and eight food packets. The said food packets contained eight airtight plastic packets inside.

“Further after emptying the trolley bag, it was found unusually heavy. Therefore, the said empty trolley bag was scanned through a baggage scanning machine which indicated the presence of four more airtight plastic packets. Hence the trolley bag was broken and four more packets were recovered which were cleverly concealed in a cavity created in the bag,” said a Customs source.

The said plastic packets contained green-colored dry leafy substance in lump form which tested positive for hydroponic weed, a substance covered under the NDPS Act. A total of 8895 grams of hydroponic weed valued around Rs 9 crore was recovered from the said passenger after which his statement was recorded wherein he admitted non-declaration, concealment, recovery and seizure of the narcotics substance that is fruiting and flowering top of a plant purported to be hydroponic weed.

“As the investigations in the case are at a very preliminary stage, efforts are also being made to identify and apprehend key associates of the accused. The officers are also probing who had supplied drugs to the accused and who were supposed to receive the said consignments in Mumbai,” said a Customs source.

Patna, Nov 22: After becoming Bihar’s Home Minister, Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary has taken a tough stance on maintaining law and order in the state.

On Saturday, soon after assuming office, he issued a stern warning to criminals, declaring that no offender would be spared and that the police had been given full freedom to act.

Deputy CM Choudhary said that the police are no longer bound and now have complete authority to take action openly.

He reaffirmed that criminals have no place in Bihar and asserted that the Home Ministry will work under the guidance of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

Good governance, he said, existed earlier and would continue even more firmly in the future.

He added that the ‘jungle raj’ that had been eliminated would not be allowed to return.

Responding to a query about his earlier controversial remark — saying that criminals in Bihar would be cremated in Gaya — the State Home Minister said the police were doing their job.

This marks the first time Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has handed over the Home Department to the BJP since 2005.

In the new Cabinet, along with Nitish Kumar, 26 Ministers were sworn-in.

Samrat Choudhary has been appointed both the Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister, while Vijay Kumar Sinha has also been appointed the Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar.

He is holding the charge of Revenue, Land Reforms and Mining departments in the Nitish Kumar-led Bihar government.

Ministers from all NDA constituents have found a place in the Bihar Cabinet.

The BJP has the highest representation in the state Cabinet with 14 Ministers, followed by Janata Dal-United with eight, Lok Janshakti Party-Ram Vilas with two, Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) with one, and Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) with one.

Despite having two Deputy CMs and 14 Ministers, the BJP’s share of the allocated departmental budget is lower compared to JD-U.

The BJP controls 29.22 per cent of the total budget, LJP-RV Ministers 0.91 per cent, HAM 0.58 per cent, and RLM 3.56 per cent.

The remaining departments, accounting for around 65 per cent of the total budget, remain with the JD-U.