New Delhi: About 100 journalists, writers, filmmakers, actors, and academics shot an open letter to the Chief Justice of India (CJI), Surya Kant, to free Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, who have been in prolonged incarceration under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, in connection with the 2020 Delhi riots violence.
Come this September, the former Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student activists will complete six years in jail without a trial.
The open letter refers to CJI Kant’s statements made during a recent lecture he delivered in Sweden.
In 2021, Kant was a part of a three-member bench hearing KA Najeeb vs Union of India case, where he categorically stated that under Article 21 of the Constitution, prolonged incarceration sans prospects of securing bail could infringe an accused person’s fundamental right to a speedy trial.
“Their trial hasn’t even begun to date. But despite that, their bail applications have been repeatedly rejected by different courts, including a two-judge bench of the Supreme Court in January 2026,” the letter said.
They urged his immediate intervention, arguing that years spent in custody cannot be recovered. They also reiterated the Supreme Court’s long-held principle that “bail is the rule and jail the exception”.
The letter is signed by prominent members of civil society, including Arundhati Roy, Anand Patwardhan, Amitav Ghosh, Ramachandra Guha, Prakash Raj, Rana Ayyub, Jayati Ghosh, Harsh Mander and Swara Bhasker.
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