Bail denied to activists Sharjeel Imam, Umar Khalid, 7 others arrested in connection with 2020 Delhi riots

UPDATED: Sep 2, 2025 14:55 IST

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday denied bail to activists Sharjeel Imam, Umar Khalid and others in connection with the 2020 Delhi riots larger conspiracy case.

Apart from Imam and Khalid, a bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Shalinder Kaur also dismissed the bail pleas of Mohd Saleem Khan, Shifa Ur Rehman, Athar Khan, Meeran Haider, Abdul Khalid Saifi and Gulfisha Fatima. The bail pleas of Imam and Khalid have been pending since 2022.

Imam and Khalid were accused of being part of a larger conspiracy that led to the communal violence in northeast Delhi in February 2020 over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). The violence left over 50 dead and more than 700 injured.

Delhi Police have accused Khalid, Imam, and others of being the "masterminds" of the violence. The activists were charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

During the hearing, the activists argued that they had already spent more than four years in custody and cited the trial's slow pace in seeking bail.

However, the prosecution, represented by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, opposed their bail, arguing that the riots were planned in advance with a sinister motive and were a "well-thought-out conspiracy".

SG Mehta further contended that it was a conspiracy to defame India on a global level. "If you do anything against your nation, you better be in jail till you are acquitted," he argued.

During the hearing, Khalid submitted that merely being on WhatsApp groups with other co-accused was no criminality. He also said that there was no recovery of any incriminating materials or money from Khalid.

Imam, meanwhile, contended that he was disconnected from all the co-accused, including Khalid, and was not part of any kind of conspiracy as alleged by the Delhi Police. He argued that his speeches and WhatsApp chats never called for any unrest.

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