Delhi HC denies bail to Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam again
What's the story
The Delhi High Court has denied bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the Delhi riots conspiracy case. The decision was taken by a Division Bench of Justices Prathiba M Singh and Dinesh Bhatt. The court observed that the Supreme Court had earlier denied bail to both Khalid and Imam in January 2026, stating they could reapply after a year or after protected witnesses are examined.
Appeal dismissal
'Can't find fault with trial court's order'
The HC said that since the two conditions are yet to be met, granting bail would amount to modifying the Supreme Court order, which the High Court cannot do.
The court said, "In view of the above discussion and overall facts of these cases, specifically the conditions imposed by the Supreme Court in Gulfisha Fatima, this court cannot find fault with the order passed by the trial court."
This is their third bail denial from this court.
Cops
Delhi Police termed Khalid, Imam 'masterminds' behind riots
The Delhi Police opposed the bail pleas of Khalid and Imam, calling them "masterminds" behind the riots.
They argued that the accused cannot seek bail on parity with other co-accused, stating that the Supreme Court had earlier categorized them as being part of the "command authority."
The police cited a Supreme Court order directing release only after protected witnesses are examined or after one year, whichever is earlier.
SC
SC granted 5 bail in January
On January 5 the Supreme Court had granted bail to Gulfisha Fatima, Meera Haider, Shifa Ur Rehman, Mohd. Saleem Khan and Shadab Ahmed but not to Khalid and Imam.
A coordinate division bench led by Justice BV Nagarathana in May expressed reservations about the judgment, saying that it did not properly follow the judgment delivered by a three-judge bench in 2021 in another case, which recognized long delay in trial as a ground for bail in cases under UAPA.