Delhi High Court Denies Bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in Riot Conspiracy Case
Bail Pleas Rejected by Delhi High Court
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New Delhi, Sep 30: On Wednesday, the Delhi High Court turned down the bail applications of student activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, who are implicated in the 2020 northeast Delhi riots conspiracy case. The court stated that, considering a prior ruling from the Supreme Court, granting bail at this moment was not feasible.
A Division Bench comprising Justices Prathiba M. Singh and Dinesh Bhatt dismissed the appeals that contested the Karkardooma Court's decisions to deny them regular bail under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and other legal provisions.
The High Court emphasized that the Supreme Court's earlier decision to deny bail to both Khalid and Imam must be taken into account, noting that the conditions necessary for them to reapply for bail had not yet occurred.
After their bail requests were rejected by the Karkardooma Court, Khalid and Imam sought relief from the High Court, arguing that the trial court was bound by the Supreme Court's January 5 ruling, which also denied them bail.
The trial court indicated that the Supreme Court had allowed Khalid and Imam to renew their bail requests only after the examination of protected witnesses or one year from the January 5 order, whichever came first.
"The Court is obligated to adhere to the Supreme Court's January 5, 2026 judgment, which dismissed the petitions of both applicants," stated the trial court.
In their arguments, Khalid and Imam claimed that circumstances had changed since the Supreme Court's January ruling. They pointed to a subsequent Supreme Court reference to a larger Bench regarding whether prolonged detention and trial delays could justify bail despite the restrictions in Section 43D(5) of the UAPA.
The prosecution opposed their pleas, asserting that no significant changes warranted a reevaluation of the bail issue and that the Supreme Court had already denied their requests.
In separate responses, law enforcement characterized Khalid and Imam as alleged "masterminds" of the broader conspiracy, arguing that the Supreme Court had categorized them distinctly from other co-defendants.
The prosecution relied on the Supreme Court's evaluation of their alleged involvement, asserting that the apex court had already outlined the conditions under which they could renew their bail requests, and that none of those conditions were met when the new applications were submitted.
The Delhi Police also contested the reliance on the Supreme Court's later reference to a larger Bench regarding prolonged detention, arguing that such a reference did not alter the legal precedent established in the earlier ruling concerning Khalid and Imam.
Earlier this year, the Supreme Court had denied bail to Khalid and Imam, stating that the evidence presented by the prosecution indicated prima facie grounds that invoked the statutory restrictions on bail under Section 43D(5) of the UAPA.
Conversely, the apex court had granted bail to five other co-defendants: Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa Ur Rehman, Mohd Saleem Khan, and Shadab Ahmed.
Recently, the Supreme Court granted six months of interim bail to co-defendants Tasleem Ahmed and Khalid Saifi while referring the issue of prolonged detention and trial delays to a larger Bench to determine if these factors could justify bail despite the UAPA restrictions.
This case pertains to the alleged overarching conspiracy behind the communal violence that erupted in northeast Delhi in February 2020. Khalid and Imam are among several individuals charged under the UAPA and other legal statutes and have been in custody for several years.