Delhi Riots Case: Supreme Court Rejects Bail Pleas of Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam

New Delhi | January 5, 2026 | DeccanLive.com

The Supreme Court of India, on Monday, January 5, rejected the bail pleas of activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the alleged conspiracy case linked to the 2020 Delhi riots.

A bench comprising Justice Arvind Kumar and Justice N.V. Anjaria said that there is prima facie evidence against both accused under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The court stated that, at this stage, granting bail to them would not be appropriate.

However, the Supreme Court granted bail to five other accused in the same case. They are Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa-ur-Rahman, Mohammed Salim Khan, and Shadab Ahmed.

The bench observed that the material placed by the prosecution shows sufficient grounds to proceed against Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam. Therefore, the legal requirements for denying bail under UAPA are met in their cases.

The court had earlier reserved its verdict on December 10 after hearing arguments from both sides. The Delhi Police was represented by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju, while senior lawyers including Kapil Sibal, Abhishek Singhvi, Salman Khurshid, and others appeared for the accused.

Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, and several others were booked under UAPA and Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections. They are accused of being key conspirators behind the Delhi riots, which took place in February 2020.

The violence occurred during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC). The riots in northeast Delhi claimed 53 lives and left more than 700 people injured.

The accused had approached the Supreme Court after the Delhi High Court rejected their bail pleas in September last year.