From the Urdu Press: ‘SC ruling in Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam case a travesty of justice’, ‘Mamata, BJP must dial down heat’

Urdu Times says while the prosecution has projected Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam as “masterminds” of the Delhi riots, their “track records do not indicate any terror links that could pose any threat to national security”.

The West Bengal Assembly elections may be three months away, but the state’s political scene has already heated up, with the Enforcement Directorate (ED)’s unprecedented move to conduct raids on the Trinamool Congress (TMC)’s poll consultant I-PAC sharpening the battle lines between Mamata Banerjee and the BJP-led Centre. The Urdu dailies kept their focus on this bitter conflict through the week. Their coverage was also dominated by the high-stakes civic body polls in Mumbai and other cities across Maharashtra, which have turned into a free-for-all where allies have become rivals and foes have turned friends, leaving the alliance lines blurred.

Referring to the ED’s raids at the premises of the election management company I-PAC and its director Pratik Jain in Kolkata, among other places, on the eve of the Bengal elections, the Hyderabad-based Siasat, in its January 10 editorial, says the face-off between the TMC and the BJP has intensified with the Mamata Banerjee-led party aiming to return to power for fourth consecutive term. “Attempts are being made to create political chaos in Bengal. As the Opposition has always flagged, the central agencies have again swung into action ahead of the elections to target them. The I-PAC has been working as a poll manager for the TMC,” it says, adding that buoyed by its Bihar triumph, the BJP has doubled down on its bid to oust the TMC from power this time. While the TMC has accused the ED of raiding the I-PAC to get details of its strategy, plans and activities for the elections, the ED has denied the allegation, it notes.

“The importance of the I-PAC for the TMC could be gauged from the point that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee herself reached its premises including Pratik Jain’s residence while the ED’s searches were underway. The ED has accused her of misusing her constitutional position to obstruct their statutory investigation. Mamata has alleged that the ED was attempting to get hold of the TMC’s internal information at the behest of the BJP,” the daily states. Both the ED and the TMC have moved the court even as Mamata hit the streets to protest against the BJP-ruled Centre’s “political vendetta” against the Opposition, it says. “Clearly, the battle for Bengal has reached a flashpoint with both players adopting a no-holds-barred approach to get the better of the other,” the edit says. “Elections must be fought on people’s issues on the basis of a party’s performance and roadmap. The TMC and the BJP should take on each other politically – and must desist from misusing their authority and agencies.”

Commenting on the Supreme Court’s order denying bail to activists and former JNU scholars Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the 2020 Delhi riots case while granting conditional bail to five other accused — Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa Ur Rehman, Mohammad Salim Khan, and Shadab Ahmad — the Mumbai-based Urdu Times, in its January 6 editorial, says that the court accepted the prosecution’s claims that Khalid and Imam played a “central and formative role” in the alleged conspiracy behind the Delhi riots, holding that they stood on a “higher footing in the hierarchy of participation” in the case. The court also said that Khalid and Imam, who have been in incarceration since 2020, could renew their bail pleas after the completion of examination of the protected witnesses or upon completion of one year from its order, whichever is earlier, the edit says. “The apex court’s decision denying bail to Khalid and Imam is unfortunate and a travesty of justice,” it says, adding that the ruling undermines the principle that bail is the rule and jail is the exception — especially in a case like this where the trial has yet to commence even after a period of more than five years. “This is a case of punishment without trial.”

The daily says while the prosecution has projected Khalid and Imam as “masterminds” of the Delhi riots, their “track records do not indicate any terror links that could pose any threat to national security”. “They had delivered speeches against the CAA and the NRC, but the speeches delivered by some BJP leaders just ahead of the Delhi riots were more inflammatory. The Delhi police however never went after these leaders and resorted to one-sided action.”

The edit points out that bails or paroles are granted even to the accused or convicts in grave murder and rape cases. The top court’s order would be a disquieting precedent in history, it says, noting that in his reaction Khalid said “this is life now”, even as he expressed happiness over the bail granted to others.

Underlining the political significance of the January 15 municipal corporation elections in Maharashtra, Siasat, in its January 12 leader, points out that all major parties cutting across their coalitions have gone all out to gain upper hand in their pockets of influence throughout the state.

“While the Opposition INDIA bloc (or Maha Vikas Aghadi) had got the better of the ruling Mahayuti (or NDA) in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Mahayuti had swept the Assembly polls held later that year. So the upcoming civic body elections are going to test this apparent political balance in the state,” it says.

Winnability seems to be the only concern among the key contenders in the fray, the editorial states. “They have joined hands with rivals to fight their allies in multiple corporations, setting aside all ideological and political differences. The pursuit of power has trumped ideology in these polls,” it says, pointing out that the emerging electoral landscape has become “complex and confusing” for the people of Maharashtra. “It has become difficult for the electors to determine the position of the contenders on various issues including on the question of alliance. While they are united with their allies in one corporation, they are slugging it out in another civic body. Their manifestos are just a compilation of sops, betraying a lack of ideas and vision,” the edit says. “The parties have especially focused on the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls. The estranged Thackeray cousins, Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray and MNS chief Raj Thackeray have reunited for it. In Pune, Ajit Pawar’s NCP and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP(SP) have also come together. The reunion of such leading political families would have a crucial bearing on state politics in the coming days, depending on the outcome of these polls.”