A Delhi court on Saturday rejected the fresh bail applications of Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the alleged larger conspiracy case linked to the 2020 Northeast Delhi riots, registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
Additional Sessions Judge Sameer Bajpai of the Karkardooma Court ruled that he was bound by the Supreme Court’s January 2026 order, which had already denied bail to the two accused. The judge said the trial court had “No option” but to follow the Supreme Court’s decision and, therefore, could not entertain their fresh bail applications.
The court also noted that the Supreme Court had referred certain legal questions regarding bail under the UAPA to a larger bench. Until those issues are settled, the trial court said it cannot reconsider the bail pleas of Khalid and Imam.
Both Khalid and Imam argued that they have been in jail for nearly six years without the trial beginning and that the prolonged incarceration violates their fundamental right to personal liberty. They also pointed out that there had been little progress in the case since the Supreme Court rejected their earlier bail pleas.
However, the prosecution opposed their release, maintaining that the allegations concern a larger conspiracy behind the 2020 riots and that there was no legal basis for granting fresh bail at this stage.
The case stems from the communal violence that broke out in Northeast Delhi in February 2020, in which more than 50 people were killed and hundreds were injured. Investigators allege that the violence was part of a larger conspiracy, an allegation that both Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam have consistently denied.
