Delhi Court Rejects Fresh Bail Pleas Of Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam In 2020 Riots Conspiracy Case

Published 4 July 2026 · local

Delhi Court Rejects Fresh Bail Pleas Of Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam In 2020 Riots Conspiracy Case Published By, Last Updated: July 04, 2026, 17:10 IST

Delhi Court Rejects Fresh Bail Pleas Of Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam In 2020 Riots Conspiracy Case Published By, Last Updated: July 04, 2026, 17:10 IST Delhi Police opposed fresh bail pleas of Sharjeel Imam and Umar Khalid, saying both of them occupied a significant role in the 2020 riots conspiracy. Rapid Read Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam have been in jail for over six years in the 2020 Delhi riots larger conspiracy case. (File image/PTI) A Delhi court on Saturday rejected fresh bail applications of activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in connection with the 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case. The order was passed by Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Sameer Bajpai of the Karkardooma Court. Imam and Khalid moved the court for bail after a Supreme Court bench questioned its own order denying bail to the duo in the Delhi riots conspiracy case. They argued that there had been no progress in trial proceedings despite six months having passed after the Supreme Court denied them bail, while arguments on the charge still remain incomplete.

The defence argued that they were entitled to bail after a Supreme Court bench observed that the legal principle of “bail is the rule" remains valid even under stringent anti-terror statutes like the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). However, the Delhi Police opposed the bail pleas, saying the Supreme Court verdict remained binding till the time clarity is given by a larger bench. The court said the judgment of two other accused had already been referred to a larger bench and it cannot consider the bail applications of Imam and Khalid unless the issue is settled. The judge noted that the Supreme Court had earlier said the duo could apply for bail only upon the completion of the examination of the protected witnesses or upon expiry of one year from the date of said order. “Thus, following the said order of the Hon’ble Supreme Court, this Court cannot entertain the applications and grant bail to the applicants.

In fact, the applications are not maintainable and they are hereby dismissed," the court said. What Did Supreme Court Say On Bail Pleas? The fresh petitions come approximately six months after the Supreme Court, on January 5, rejected earlier bail pleas submitted by Khalid and Imam. While five other co-accused, including Gulfisha Fatima and Meeran Haider, were granted bail by the Supreme Court earlier this week, Imam and Khalid remain in custody at Tihar Jail. In its ruling, the apex court had distinguished Imam and Khalid’s roles as being “architectural" and “central" to the alleged conspiracy, placing them on a “qualitatively different footing" compared to other accused. The Delhi Police has alleged that Khalid, Imam, and several others were the principal masterminds behind a premeditated, well-orchestrated conspiracy that triggered communal violence in northeast Delhi in February 2020. The clashes, which erupted during intense public demonstrations against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the Register of Citizens (NRC), resulted in 53 deaths and left more than 700 people injured.