Supreme Court Denies Bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in Delhi Riot Case

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday refused to grant bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the Delhi riots case, while granting bail to five other accused under twelve conditions. The apex court clearly stated that Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam cannot file any bail petition in this case for one year.

The verdict was delivered by a bench comprising Justice Arvind Kumar and Justice N V Anjaria. The Supreme Court had reserved its decision after hearing arguments from the accused and Delhi Police on December 10. The court did not find it necessary to keep the other accused—Gulfisha Fatima, Miran Haider, Shifa Ur Rehman, Mohammad Salim Khan, and Shadab Ahmed—in continued custody and granted them bail.

The Supreme Court added that if the trial witness testimony is not completed within a year, the accused may file fresh bail applications in the lower court.

Earlier, Umar Khalid was granted interim bail by the Karkardooma Court from December 16 to December 29 for attending his sister’s wedding. The court imposed strict conditions on his interim release, including a ban on using social media, contacting any witnesses, and limiting meetings to family members, relatives, and close friends only. He was also required to surrender by the evening of December 29.

Umar Khalid was arrested by Delhi Police in September 2020. He is accused of conspiring to incite large-scale violence in Delhi in February 2020. The case falls under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Sharjeel Imam and several others have been charged as conspirators in the same case.

The Delhi riots resulted in multiple deaths and injured over 700 people. The violence erupted during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC), where the situation escalated at several locations.

During earlier hearings, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing Delhi Police, stated that the 2020 violence was not a spontaneous communal clash but a well-planned and deliberate conspiracy aimed at attacking national sovereignty.

–