India, Nov. 1 -- The Supreme Court on Friday began final hearing in the bail petitions filed by student activists Sharjeel Imam, Umar Khalid and Gulfisha Fatima in the larger conspiracy case of the 2020 northeast Delhi riots , with the accused strongly disputing the Delhi Police's claim that they had contributed to the delay in the trial. They pointed out that the police took over three years to complete the investigation, filing four supplementary charge sheets until June 2023, and that the special prosecutor alone had sought adjournments on 59 dates.

A bench of justices Aravind Kumar and NV Anjaria posted the matter for further hearing on November 3 after senior advocates Kapil Sibal (for Khalid), Abhishek Manu Singhvi (for Gulfisha), ...