The Supreme Court on Monday refused to grant bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, accused in the Delhi riots case, while granting bail to five other accused under 12 conditions. The court also stated that Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam cannot file any bail petition in this matter for one year.
The decision was delivered by a bench comprising Justices Arvind Kumar and N V Anjaria. The Supreme Court reserved its judgment after hearing arguments from the accused and the 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 Ahmad—in continuous custody and approved their bail.
The court added that if the trial testimony is not completed within a year, the accused may file a fresh bail petition in the lower court.
Earlier, Umar Khalid had been granted interim bail by the Karkardooma Court from December 16 to December 29 for attending his sister’s wedding. This interim release came with strict conditions, including a ban on using social media, no contact with witnesses, and interaction only with family members, relatives, and close friends. Khalid was also required to surrender by the evening of December 29.
Umar Khalid was arrested by Delhi Police in September 2020, accused of conspiring to incite large-scale violence in Delhi in February 2020. The case is registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Sharjeel Imam and several others are also accused of conspiracy in the same case.
The Delhi riots resulted in multiple deaths and left over 700 people injured. The violence erupted during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC), with law and order deteriorating at several locations.
During the previous hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing Delhi Police, argued that the 2020 violence was not a sudden communal clash but a well-planned and premeditated conspiracy to attack national sovereignty.
Bhupendra Singh Chundawat is a seasoned technology journalist with over 22 years of experience in the media industry. He specializes in covering the global technology landscape, with a deep focus on manufacturing trends and the geopolitical impact on tech companies. Currently serving as the Editor at Udaipur Kiran, his insights are shaped by decades of hands-on reporting and editorial leadership in the fast-evolving world of technology.
