Supreme Court Delays Hearing on Bail Pleas of Sharjeel Imam, Umar Khalid and Others in Delhi Riots Case

The Supreme Court on Friday postponed the hearing of bail pleas filed by Sharjeel Imam, Umar Khalid, Meeran Haider, and Gulfisha Fatima—all accused in the 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case. The case involves serious charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

A bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and Manmohan said the hearing will now take place on Monday, September 22, after the petitioners’ lawyers asked for more time.

Earlier, the Delhi High Court had rejected their bail requests, saying there was enough evidence to suggest a larger conspiracy behind the North-East Delhi riots. The violence took place during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) in February 2020. It left 53 people dead and over 700 injured.

In its September 2 order, the High Court said that Sharjeel Imam and Umar Khalid had allegedly given inflammatory speeches around February 24, 2020, which the prosecution claimed were timed to coincide with the visit of then U.S. President Donald Trump. According to the prosecution, these speeches were meant to spark unrest and attract international attention.

The court said that, taken as a whole, the speeches "prima facie" (on first look) indicated the two played a role in planning the riots.

For Meeran Haider, the court noted that he allegedly helped fund activities through the Alumni Association of Jamia Millia Islamia (AAJMI), where key meetings were held.

In Gulfisha Fatima’s case, prosecutors claimed she used code words to guide protestors and received money to support the alleged plan.

The High Court also said that the ongoing trial and pending witness statements were reasons to deny bail at this stage.

The Supreme Court is now expected to look into all these matters more closely in the next hearing.