Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam Denied Bail. What Is 2020 Delhi Riots Case

The Supreme Court on Monday denied bail to activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case.

A bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and NV Anjaria, however, granted bail to activists Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa Ur Rehman, Mohd Saleem Khan, and Shadab Ahmad in the case.

"This court is satisfied that the prosecution material disclosed a prima facie allegation against the appellants Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam. The statutory threshold stands attracted qua these appellants. This stage of proceedings does not justify their enlargement on bail," the top court said.

Khalid and Imam had moved the Supreme Court, challenging the Delhi High Court's September 2 order last year that denied them bail in the "larger conspiracy" case of the February 2020 riots.

What Is 2020 Delhi Riots Case

A communal clash broke out in northeast Delhi on February 24, 2020, during widespread protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

The riots, one of the deadliest in the national capital in decades, stretched on for days, leaving more than 50 people, mostly Muslims, dead and over 700 injured.

Twenty people, including Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam and former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillor Tahir Hussain, were among those who were charged for their alleged involvement in the larger conspiracy to incite the riots.

What Delhi Police Said On Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam

Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam have been charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA) anti-terror law and provisions of the erstwhile Indian Penal Code (IPC) for allegedly being the "masterminds" of the 2020 riots.

The Delhi Police has opposed their bail pleas, saying the riots were not spontaneous but an "orchestrated, pre-planned and well-designed" attack on India's sovereignty.

Authorities acted promptly, vigilantly, and effectively without any fear or favour and in a professional manner to control the law and order situation in the affected areas and to save life and property during the riots, the police claimed.

In November last year, they had told the high court that they had registered 757 FIRs in connection with the riots and that investigation was pending in 273 cases and trial was pending in 250.

What Umar Khalid Said

Umar Khalid, who was arrested in September 2020, had submitted that he was not in Delhi when the riots broke out.

He said he cannot be kept in jail "as if to say that I will punish you for your protests".

Khalid, a former Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student, was granted interim bail from December 16 to 29 last year to attend his sister's wedding.

In 2024, he got interim bail of seven days to attend another wedding. He was also granted similar relief in 2022.

What Sharjeel Imam Said

Seeking bail in the case, Sharjeel Imam had expressed anguish before the Supreme Court over being "labelled" a "dangerous intellectual terrorist" without a full-fledged trial or a single conviction.

"I would like to say that I am not a terrorist, as I have been called by the respondent (police). I am not an anti-national, as called by the State. I am a citizen of this country, a citizen by birth, and I have not been convicted for any offence till now," senior advocate Siddhartha Dave, representing Imam, said.

He had contended that Imam was arrested on January 28, 2020, which was before the communal violence that broke out in Northeast Delhi, for his speeches that alone cannot constitute the offence of "criminal conspiracy" in the riots case.

The police had arrested Imam, saying he delivered hate speeches during anti-CAA protests in January and December 2019.

US Lawmakers Seek 'Fair and Timely' Trial For Umar Khalid

A group of American lawmakers has written a letter to Indian Ambassador to the US Vinay Kwatra, urging a "fair and timely" trial for Umar Khalid in "accordance with international law."

US Representatives Jim McGovern and Jamie Raskin were among eight lawmakers who expressed concern regarding the "prolonged pre-trial detention of individuals" charged in the case.

"The US and India share a long-standing strategic partnership that has historically been rooted in democratic values, constitutional governance and strong people-to-people ties," said the letter written on December 30, 2025.

As the world's largest democracies, both nations have an interest in protecting and upholding "freedom, the rule of law, human rights and pluralism," it said.

"It is in this spirit" that the lawmakers said they are raising their concerns regarding Khalid's detention.

Zohran Mamdani's Note For Umar Khalid

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani also recently wrote a note for Khalid, recalling his words on "bitterness" and the importance of not letting it "consume one's self."

In a handwritten note to Khalid, which was posted on X by Khalid's partner, Banojyotsna Lahiri, Mamdani said, "Dear Umar, I think of your words on bitterness often, and the importance of not letting it consume one's self. It was a pleasure to meet your parents. We are all thinking of you."

(With agency inputs)