Supreme Court Denies Bail To Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam In 2020 Delhi Riots Case
The Supreme Court refused to grant bail to activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam on Monday in the 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case, keeping both men in jail for more than five years after their arrests.
At the same time, the court granted bail to five other accused, Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa Ur Rehman, Mohd Saleem Khan, and Shadab Ahmad in the same case, offering them relief after long periods of imprisonment.
A bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and NV Anjaria said there is enough material at this stage to show a prima facie case against Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam.
The court said the legal threshold under the stringent anti-terror law applies to them, and therefore, this is not the stage to release them on bail.
Umar Khalid was arrested in September 2020, while Sharjeel Imam has been in custody since January 2020.
Both had approached the Supreme Court after the Delhi High Court rejected their bail pleas in September last year. Their petitions challenged the finding that they were part of a “larger conspiracy” behind the violence.
The case relates to the communal riots that broke out in northeast Delhi in February 2020 during protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC).
The violence lasted several days and left more than 50 people dead, most of them Muslims, with over 700 injured. It was one of the worst episodes of communal violence the capital had seen in decades.
Delhi Police has claimed the riots were not spontaneous but were carefully planned and coordinated.
According to the police, around 20 people, including Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, and former Aam Aadmi Party councillor Tahir Hussain, were part of this alleged conspiracy.
Khalid and Imam have been charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and sections of the Indian Penal Code, with police calling them “masterminds” of the riots.
Umar Khalid has consistently denied the charges. He has said he was not even in Delhi when the riots broke out and argued that he is being punished for protesting against government policies.
Delhi Court Grants Umar Khalid Interim Bail To Attend Sister’s Wedding
Over the years, courts have granted him interim bail on limited occasions, such as to attend family weddings.
Sharjeel Imam has also denied all allegations. He has said he is being branded a “dangerous intellectual terrorist” without a trial or conviction. His lawyer told the court that Imam was arrested even before the riots took place and that speeches alone cannot prove criminal conspiracy.
The case has drawn international attention as well.
In December 2025, a group of US lawmakers wrote to India’s ambassador, urging a fair and timely trial for Umar Khalid. Last week, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani also sent a personal note expressing solidarity with Umar Khalid.
