2020 Delhi riots case: Supreme Court defers bail plea of Sharjeel Imam, Umar Khalid & others to September 19

The bench said it got the case files and supplementary list late last night and didn’t get time to read.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday decided to take up on September 19 pleas for bail filed by former JNU students Sharjeel Imam, Umar Khalid and others, arrested under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act for a larger conspiracy in 2020 Delhi riots.

The accused challenged the Delhi High Court order rejecting their bail applications on September 2.

As soon as the matter came up, a bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and N V Anjaria said, "We got the case files and supplementary list late last night and didn’t get time to read."

The court posted the matter for consideration on September 19.

Senior advocates Kapil Sibal, A M Singhvi, C U Singh, Siddharth Dave appeared for the petitioners accused.

Khalid and others have been in jail since 2020 in connection with the riots which had left 53 people dead and over 700 injured.

The High Court on September 2, 2025 dismissed the bail petitions.

A division bench had noted the nature of the allegations, and specifically the submission by the State that the present is not a case of regular protest or riot matter, but rather a premeditated, well-orchestrated conspiracy to commit unlawful activities threatening the unity, integrity, and sovereignty of India.

The HC had said, in view of submissions, it became the arduous task of the court to strike a balance between individual rights and the interests of the nation, as well as the safety and security of the general public at large. "Therefore, these appeals do not succeed,'' the bench had said.

The court also noted the probative value of the evidence against the appellants Imam and Khalid, ''prima facie and at this stage, cannot be branded as weak''.

It also rejected the arguments for parity with co-accused Devangana Kalita, Natasha Narwal, and Asif Iqbal Tanha, who were earlier granted bail.

The role of the appellants Sharjeel and Khalid is prima facie grave in the entire conspiracy, having delivered inflammatory speeches on communal lines to instigate a mass mobilization of members of the Muslim Community, the bench said.

On their contention of delay in trial and prolonged incarceration, the HC had said, the prosecution has strongly alleged about the magnitude, and involvement of numerous conspirators, individuals, and organisations in mobilizing thousands of people in protest within the national capital, resulting in 54 deaths, injuries caused to numerous persons and destruction of movable and immovable public and private properties.

Having noted that the trial is currently at the stage of hearing arguments on the framing of charges, the court said, it indicated that the case is progressing.

In view of 3000-page of charge sheet and 30,000-page of electronic evidence and the number of witnesses, the bench said, the pace of the trial will progress naturally.

"A hurried trial would also be detrimental to the rights of both the appellants and the State," it said.

The court had then also dismissed similar bail plea by other accused Athar Khan, Abdul Khalid Saifi, Mohd Saleem Khan, Shifa Ur Rehman, Meeran Haider, Gulfisha Fatima and Shadab Ahmed.