Guwahati: A Delhi court on Saturday rejected fresh bail pleas of former JNU student leader Umar Khalid and activist Sharjeel Imam in the larger conspiracy case related to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, saying it could not entertain the applications in view of the Supreme Court’s earlier order denying them bail.
Additional Sessions Judge Sameer Bajpai of the Karkardooma Court dismissed the applications after hearing arguments from both the prosecution and the defence. The court observed that it was bound by the Supreme Court’s January 5, 2026 order, which had denied bail to Khalid and Imam while granting relief to five other co-accused.
The two accused had sought fresh bail, citing their prolonged incarceration of nearly six years without the trial beginning. Their counsel argued that continued detention infringed upon their right to personal liberty and that there had been little progress in the case since the apex court’s order earlier this year.
Opposing the pleas, the Delhi Police argued that the Supreme Court had already laid down the conditions under which Khalid and Imam could seek bail again and that those conditions had not yet been met.
While rejecting the applications, the trial court noted that the Supreme Court had permitted the two accused to move fresh bail pleas only after the examination of protected witnesses or after one year from its January 5 order, whichever occurred earlier. Since neither condition had been fulfilled, the court declined to grant them relief.
Khalid and Imam are among several accused booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and various provisions of the Indian Penal Code in the alleged larger conspiracy behind the communal violence that broke out in northeast Delhi in February 2020. Both have denied the allegations against them.