“Ab Yahi Zindagi Hai”: Umar Khalid Reacts After Supreme Court Rejects Bail Plea
New Delhi | January 5, 2026 | DeccanLive.com
Activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam will continue to remain in jail after the Supreme Court rejected their bail pleas in the 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case.
After the court’s decision, Umar Khalid reportedly said that jail has now become his life. This was shared by his close friend Bijoyetshna Lahiri, who met and spoke to him after the verdict. In a post on social media platform X, she said Umar was happy that some other accused in the case were granted bail.
She quoted Umar as saying, “I am very happy for those who got bail. I feel relieved.” When she told him she would come to meet him, Umar replied, “Yes, come. This is my life now.”
Meanwhile, Umar Khalid’s father Syed Qasim Rasool Ilyas looked deeply upset after the Supreme Court’s decision. Speaking briefly inside the court premises, he said, “I don’t want to say anything. I have heard the decision.”
The Supreme Court, however, gave some relief by allowing Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam to apply for bail again after one year. The court also directed the police and trial court to speed up the case and complete the examination of all witnesses within one year.
The case is related to the February 2020 violence in North-East Delhi, in which 53 people were killed and over 700 injured. The court said that delay in trial cannot automatically become a reason for bail, and pre-trial detention cannot be treated as punishment. The bench also observed that there is a prima facie case, especially against Sharjeel Imam, under the UAPA law.
