Delhi HC Turns Down Bail Pleas Of Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam In 2020 Riots Case

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday dismissed the bail pleas of former Jawaharlal Nehru University scholar Umar Khalid and activist Sharjeel Imam in the case concerning the alleged larger conspiracy behind the February 2020 North-East Delhi riots. A division bench of Justices Prathiba M Singh and Dinesh Bhatt upheld the trial court’s July 4 decision rejecting their bail applications, holding that it could not modify conditions laid down by the Supreme Court when it previously refused bail to the two accused. The case is registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and concerns allegations surrounding the planning and organisation of the violence.

The High Court’s decision centred on the Supreme Court’s January 5, 2026 order concerning bail applications in the case. While refusing bail to Khalid and Imam at that stage, the Supreme Court had allowed them to renew their requests after the examination of protected witnesses was completed or after one year from the date of its order, whichever occurred earlier. The High Court said the liberty granted to the two was subject to those specific conditions and that it could not alter the directions issued by the apex court. “Judicial discipline” required the High Court to follow the Supreme Court’s order, according to the court’s reasoning reported after Wednesday’s hearing.

Khalid and Imam had approached the High Court after the trial court rejected their bail pleas for the third time on July 4. Their lawyers had cited developments they argued amounted to a change in circumstances, including a subsequent Supreme Court judgment concerning bail under the UAPA, the grant of interim bail to co-accused Abdul Khalid Saifi and Tasleem Ahmad, and the period they had spent in custody. The defence also pointed to the continuing delay in the proceedings and argued that the prolonged incarceration should be considered while deciding the fresh bail applications. The prosecution opposed the pleas and maintained that the roles attributed to Khalid and Imam were different from those of co-accused who had received bail.

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The High Court also considered the argument that the two should receive bail on parity with Saifi and Ahmad, who were granted interim relief by the Supreme Court. However, the bench noted that the Supreme Court had treated the roles attributed to Khalid and Imam differently in its January ruling. The High Court further noted that the Supreme Court’s January directions specifically concerned the two appellants and could not be altered by relying on developments in other cases. The bench therefore found no basis to interfere with the trial court’s July order.

The case arises from FIR 59/2020, registered in connection with the alleged larger conspiracy behind the communal violence that broke out in North-East Delhi in February 2020. The violence occurred amid protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act and proposed National Register of Citizens and resulted in 53 deaths and more than 700 injuries, according to court and prosecution records cited in reports. Khalid was arrested on September 13, 2020, while Imam was arrested on August 25, 2020. Both have remained in custody while proceedings in the case have continued.

The latest ruling marks another setback to the pair’s attempts to secure bail in the case. The Delhi High Court had previously rejected their bail pleas in September 2025, while earlier proceedings had also reached the Supreme Court. The High Court has now dismissed their appeals against the July 4 trial court order, relying primarily on the specific conditions attached to the Supreme Court’s January 2026 decision. The underlying case remains pending, and the latest bail ruling does not amount to a final determination of guilt or innocence.

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