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Delhi High Court rejects fresh bail pleas of Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case. (Img: X)
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday rejected the latest bail pleas of former JNU scholar Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the case concerning the alleged larger conspiracy behind the February 2020 North-East Delhi riots.
The Division Bench of Justice Prathiba M Singh and Justice Dinesh Bhatt passed the order. The latest decision marks the third occasion on which the High Court has declined bail to both Khalid and Imam in the case.
The present proceedings followed the dismissal of their bail applications by the Karkardooma trial court on July 4, 2026. Khalid and Imam subsequently approached the High Court challenging the trial court's decision and seeking regular bail in the case registered under the stringent provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
Their latest attempt for bail came after the Supreme Court, in January 2026, granted bail to five other accused in the case but declined to extend similar relief to Khalid and Imam.
A significant plank of Khalid and Imam's submissions before the High Court was the subsequent Supreme Court judgment in Syed Iftikhar Andrabi.
The accused argued that observations made by another Bench of the Supreme Court in that matter had a bearing on the reasoning adopted while dealing with their bail pleas earlier. According to their case, the later judgment constituted a material change in circumstances warranting reconsideration of their entitlement to bail.
The Delhi Police, however, disputed this interpretation.
The prosecution argued that a judgment rendered by a coordinate Bench in separate proceedings could not override the specific findings and directions issued by the Supreme Court while considering the bail cases of Khalid and Imam themselves.
The Delhi Police strongly resisted the applications, maintaining that the two accused had been attributed central roles in the alleged conspiracy behind the 2020 riots.
The prosecution further contended that the January 2026 Supreme Court judgment had already dealt with the respective allegations against Khalid and Imam and that the circumstances relied upon by them did not justify reopening the issue of bail.
The police also questioned the maintainability of the fresh pleas, asserting that the applicants had sought to read the Supreme Court's earlier directions beyond their intended scope.
The prosecution particularly relied upon the Supreme Court's January 2026 directions concerning when Khalid and Imam could renew their requests for bail.
According to the Delhi Police, the Supreme Court had permitted them to seek bail afresh only after completion of the examination of protected witnesses or upon the expiry of one year from the date of its order, whichever occurred earlier.
The prosecution argued that the circumstances contemplated by the Supreme Court had not arisen in a manner that entitled the accused to seek immediate reconsideration of their bail claims.
January Supreme Court Verdict
In January 2026, the Supreme Court had taken a differentiated view of the bail applications filed by the accused in the Delhi riots conspiracy case.
While granting bail to Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa Ur Rehman, Mohammad Saleem Khan and Shadab Ahmed, the Court declined relief to Khalid and Imam, holding that the allegations and material concerning the accused could not be treated on an identical footing.
The apex court's ruling consequently became a central feature of the subsequent bail proceedings involving Khalid and Imam.
The case pertains to the alleged larger conspiracy connected with the communal violence that broke out in North-East Delhi in February 2020. Khalid and Imam have been in custody in connection with the case for several years.
With the Delhi High Court's latest order, their present bail challenge has again failed to secure relief, while the underlying criminal proceedings continue before the trial court.
