US EditionIndia’s top court denies bail to 2 Muslim activists after 5 years in jail without trial
Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam denied bail for alleged central roles in a conspiracy linked to 2020 Northeast Delhi riots that caused 53 deaths, court said.
- The apex court on Monday denied bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, who have been held for about five years after arrests between January and September 2020.
- The court found prima facie evidence that prosecution material showed Khalid and Imam’s essential roles in planning and mobilisation, meeting the Unlawful Activities Act threshold.
- Prosecutors pointed to call detail records , WhatsApp groups and pamphlets showing mobilisation and chakka jams, while defence lawyers Kapil Sibal and Siddharth Dave argued Khalid appears in only one of 751 FIRs and was not in Delhi during the riots.
- The bench granted conditional bail to Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa-ur-Rehman, Mohammad Salim Khan and Shadab Ahmad, while Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam were denied bail but may reapply after witness examination or one year.
- Rights groups warn that Khalid's prolonged detention under the UAPA reflects a broader crackdown on dissent, with Amnesty International and eight U.S. lawmakers urging fair trials last year and last week.
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74 Articles
'Weight of Their Names, Intellect': Critics on SC's Order Against Umar, Sharjeel
After the Supreme Court denied bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam —incarcerated for over five years — in the Delhi riots conspiracy case, critics online have called it a "travesty of justice" and how the judicial system has let them down.On 5 January 2026, while the Supreme Court granted bail to five others namely, Gulfisha Fatima, Shifa ur Rehman, Meeran Haider, Shadab Ahmad and Salim Khan, the bail pleas of Khalid and Imam were rejected. Th…
Delhi riots case: SC denies bail to Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam; BJP says "Congress and its ecosystem must apologise"
The Supreme Court on Monday denied bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in a case pertaining to an alleged larger conspiracy behind the 2020 north-east Delhi riots.
India: Supreme Court denies bail to Muslim student activists
Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam have been in detention for more than five years without a full trial or conviction. They're accused of playing a "central role" in stoking the communal riots in Delhi in early 2020.
Ab yahi zindagi hai, says Umar Khalid after SC denies bail
New Delhi: After his bail petition was rejected by the Supreme Court on Monday, January 5, in the 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case, while five others were granted bail, activist Umar Khalid reportedly told his partner, Banojyotsna Lahiri, “this is my life now.” “I am really happy for the others, who got bail! So relieved,” Umar said. When she said that she would visit him tomorrow, he replied, “Good good, aa jana. Ab yahi zindagi hai (Do come. T…
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