The Delhi High Court on Monday adjourned the hearing on bail applications filed by activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the 2020 north-east Delhi riots larger conspiracy case, rescheduling the matter for September 30.
A division bench comprising Justice Prathiba M Singh and Justice Dinesh Bhatt deferred the proceedings following an adjournment request by the prosecution. Special Public Prosecutor Madhukar Pandey informed the court that Additional Solicitor General S V Raju, appearing for the Delhi Police, was unavailable due to health reasons. The bench also postponed the bail hearing of co-accused and former councillor Tahir Hussain to November.
Police Contest Relief Citing Command Authority
Khalid and Imam approached the high court after a trial court rejected their bail pleas for a third time on July 4. Both have been booked by the Delhi Police Special Cell under the anti-terror Unlawful Activities Act over allegations of orchestrating communal violence that broke out during demonstrations against the Citizenship Act and the National Register of Citizens in February 2020. The clashes resulted in 53 deaths and left more than 700 individuals injured.
Opposing their release before the high court, the Delhi Police maintained that both accused acted as masterminds of the unrest and cannot claim parity with other individuals granted bail. The police submitted that the Supreme Court had previously identified both activists as exercising command authority, concluding that their risk profiles warranted sustained custody. The prosecution also argued that the petitions contravene a January 5 Supreme Court ruling requiring the accused to seek release only after protected witnesses are examined or after a period of one year, whichever arrives earlier.
Judicial History And Relief To Co-Accused
In its July 4 order, the trial court noted that it was obliged to follow the apex court’s January 5 directives, stating it could neither consider nor grant relief to Khalid. The legal proceedings follow an earlier ruling on September 2, 2025, when a high court division bench dismissed bail applications for both Khalid and Imam.
On January 5, a Supreme Court bench of Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice N V Anjaria upheld the high court’s denial of bail, finding a prima facie case against Khalid and Imam under the anti-terror statute. However, the top court extended relief to five co-accused in the same matter: Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa Ur Rehman, Mohammad Saleem Khan, and Shadab Ahmad.
Earlier, on May 22, the Supreme Court granted six months of interim bail to two other co-accused, Abdul Khalid Saifi and Tasleem Ahmad. While issuing that order, the court referred the legal issue concerning prolonged incarceration under the strict bail conditions of the anti-terror statute to a larger bench.
Imam has been detained since his arrest on August 25, 2020, while Khalid was taken into custody on September 13, 2020.
