Delhi riots case: SC to hear bail pleas of Sharjeel Imam, Umar Khalid, others on September 22

The Supreme Court on Friday adjourned to September 22 the hearing on the bail pleas of Sharjeel Imam, Umar Khalid, Gulfisha Fatima, and Meeran Haider in the 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case. The accused have challenged the Delhi High Court’s September 2 order denying them bail under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

A Bench of Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice Manmohan listed the matter for hearing on Monday – September 22.

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The high court had rejected the bail pleas of Imam, Khalid, and seven others—Mohd Saleem Khan, Shifa Ur Rehman, Athar Khan, Meeran Haider, Shadab Ahmed, Abdul Khalid Saifi, and Gulfisha Fatima—observing that their roles in the alleged conspiracy were “grave”. On the same day, another Bench had denied bail to accused Tasleem Ahmed.

The Delhi Police had opposed bail, arguing the 2020 northeast Delhi riots were not “spontaneous” but “planned well in advance” with a larger conspiracy behind them. The high court noted that Imam and Khalid had allegedly delivered inflammatory speeches along communal lines, aiming to “instigate mass mobilisation”.

Khalid has now sought relief from the top court, challenging the application of the stringent UAPA provisions in the case. Imam, arrested in 2020, was named by the police as one of the main conspirators.

The violence broke out in February 2020 amid protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC), leaving 53 people dead and more than 700 injured.