Delhi HC rejects third bail pleas of Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam in 2020 riots case

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday rejected the third bail pleas of activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the case concerning the alleged larger conspiracy behind the February 2020 north-east Delhi riots.

A bench of Justices Prathiba M Singh and Dinesh Bhatt said it could not modify the Supreme Court’s January 5 order, under which Khalid and Imam were given liberty to seek bail after the examination of protected witnesses or after one year from the date of the order, whichever comes earlier.

The two have been booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and other provisions in connection with the riots, which left 53 people dead and more than 700 injured. The violence broke out in February 2020 amid protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the proposed National Register of Citizens.

The Delhi Police has alleged that Khalid and Imam played a central role in the alleged conspiracy. The Supreme Court, while denying them bail in January, said the allegations against them placed them differently from five other accused who were granted conditional bail. The court also clarified that its observations at the bail stage would not amount to findings on guilt at trial.

Khalid was arrested in September 2020, while Imam was arrested in August that year. Their earlier bail pleas were rejected by the Delhi High Court in 2022 and 2025, with the Supreme Court subsequently upholding those decisions.

with input from PTI