Delhi Court Denies Bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in 2020 Delhi Riots Larger Conspiracy Case
Trial court says it is bound by the Supreme Court’s earlier ruling, keeping both accused in judicial custody as proceedings under the UAPA continue.
A Delhi court has rejected the fresh bail applications of activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the alleged larger conspiracy case linked to the 2020 North-East Delhi riots. The order ensures that both accused will remain in judicial custody while the prosecution under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and other criminal provisions continues.
Additional Sessions Judge Sameer Bajpai of the Karkardooma Courts held that the trial court was bound by the Supreme Court’s earlier decision refusing bail to the two accused. The judge observed that there was “no option but to follow” the apex court’s ruling and, therefore, declined to entertain or grant the fresh applications on similar grounds.
The fresh bail pleas were filed after subsequent developments in the case and were argued on the basis of prolonged incarceration without the commencement of trial. Counsel for the accused contended that their continued detention violated the constitutional right to personal liberty, particularly given the significant delay in the trial.
The prosecution, however, opposed the applications, maintaining that Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam occupy a distinct position in the alleged conspiracy. According to the investigating agency, the allegations against them involve a central role in planning and coordinating the conspiracy that allegedly culminated in the communal violence in North-East Delhi in February 2020.
The trial court relied heavily on the Supreme Court’s January 2026 judgment, which had distinguished the roles of Khalid and Imam from those of several co-accused who were granted bail. The apex court had observed that the allegations against the two were on a “qualitatively different footing,” describing their alleged involvement as more direct and foundational to the prosecution’s conspiracy case.
The Delhi riots conspiracy case remains one of India’s most closely watched criminal prosecutions under the UAPA. The FIR alleges that a coordinated conspiracy lay behind the communal violence that erupted in North-East Delhi in February 2020, resulting in more than 50 deaths and extensive destruction of property. Multiple activists, students, and political workers have been named as accused, while all have denied the allegations against them.
The continued incarceration of Khalid and Imam has also revived debate over the UAPA’s stringent bail provisions. Legal scholars and civil liberties advocates have argued that the Act’s restrictive framework, particularly Section 43D(5), makes securing bail exceptionally difficult and can lead to prolonged detention before trial. The prosecution and government authorities, on the other hand, maintain that such safeguards are necessary to investigate and prosecute serious offences affecting national security.
With the latest order, both Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam retain the legal option of challenging the trial court’s decision before a higher court. Until any appellate relief is granted, the proceedings in the larger conspiracy case will continue before the trial court, with the substantive trial yet to reach completion.
