Supreme Court Denies Bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in 2020 Delhi Riots Conspiracy Case

The Supreme Court on Monday rejected bail applications from activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the alleged larger conspiracy behind the February 2020 Northeast Delhi riots, while approving conditional bail for five co-accused.

A bench comprising Justices Aravind Kumar and NV Anjaria ruled that prosecution evidence established prima facie allegations against Khalid and Imam under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), stating that the statutory restrictions on bail applied to them.

The court said that the two stood on a "qualitatively different footing" from others due to their alleged central roles in planning and mobilisation.

However, the bench granted bail to Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa-ur-Rehman, Mohd Saleem Khan, and Shadab Ahmad, noting that their attributed roles did not warrant continued detention at this stage.

Khalid and Imam had appealed against a Delhi High Court order from September 2025 denying them bail.

The violence erupted in Northeast Delhi on February 24, 2020, amid protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC). The clashes, among the worst communal riots in the capital in decades, resulted in 53 deaths—predominantly Muslims—and over 700 injuries.

Delhi Police charged around 20 individuals, including Khalid, Imam, and former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain, with orchestrating a premeditated conspiracy under UAPA and sections of the erstwhile Indian Penal Code.

Officials described the riots as a "pre-planned and orchestrated" assault on national sovereignty, asserting that police responded professionally to restore order. As of late 2025, investigations continued in hundreds of related cases, with trials ongoing in many.

Umar Khalid, arrested in September 2020 and a former JNU student, maintained he was not in Delhi during the riots and argued against indefinite incarceration merely for participating in protests. He received brief interim bail on several occasions, including in December 2025 and 2024 for family weddings.

Sharjeel Imam, detained since January 2020—prior to the riots—expressed frustration at being portrayed as a "dangerous intellectual terrorist" without conviction. His counsel contended that his speeches during anti-CAA protests did not amount to criminal conspiracy.

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