Delhi HC to hear Umar Khalid-Sharjeel's pleas on August 27
What's the story
The Delhi High Court will hear the bail pleas of former Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) scholar Umar Khalid and co-accused Sharjeel Imam on August 27. A bench comprising Justices Prathiba M Singh and Vikas Mahajan has issued a notice to the Delhi Police in this regard. The court also issued notice on Khalid's plea seeking interim bail until the Supreme Court decides on Article 21's applicability against Section 43D(5) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
Bail history
Khalid's previous bail attempts
Khalid has filed his bail plea thrice, with all previous attempts being rejected by the trial court and the Supreme Court.
Rejecting his bail plea, the trial court had earlier observed that it was bound by a Supreme Court order from January 2026, which laid down specific conditions for seeking bail again.
This leaves it with no scope to entertain the present applications, the trial court said.
After these setbacks, Khalid approached the High Court.
Case details
What is the Delhi riots case?
The Delhi riots case pertains to the communal violence in North-East Delhi in 2020 over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
The violence left over 50 dead and hundreds injured.
Khalid was arrested in September 2020, accused of hatching a larger conspiracy to cause multiple riots.
He was charged with criminal conspiracy, rioting, and unlawful assembly as well as several other offenses under UAPA. He has been in jail since.
Bail principles
Supreme Court questioned correctness of Umar Khalid verdict
The Supreme Court had earlier granted bail to five co-accused in January this year but denied relief to Khalid and Imam.
However, another bench of the Supreme Court questioned the correctness of the other bench's verdict on Khalid, stating that bail should be the rule and jail the exception even in UAPA cases.
This prompted Khalid to file his current plea for bail, his third time seeking relief.