Supreme Court Delays Ruling on Bail for โขUmar Khalid, Others โinโ Delhi Riots Case
New Delhi: The Supreme Court todayโ adjourned hearings regarding the bail petitions of Umar Khalid, Gulfisha Fatima, Sharjeel Imam, Meeran Haider, โand Shifa-Ur-Rehman – all accused in the 2020 Delhi riots โค”larger conspiracy” case – until โSeptember 22. The โcourt was โคhearing appeals challenging a September 2, 2023, Delhi Highโ Court decision that โขdenied bail to these individuals, who have been in custody for over five years.
The case centers around allegations that these activists andโค students conspired โto incite the violence that eruptedโ inโค northeast Delhi in Februaryโค 2020. The ongoing legal battle highlights the complexities of balancing national security concerns โwith fundamental rights to freedom and due process, and the prolonged detention of โคthe accused raises questions โabout the โฃpace of justice in sensitive cases involving accusations โof sedition and terrorism under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
The individuals involved in the case, alongside othersโ previously arrested, include Tahir Hussain, Khalid Saifi, Isharat Jahan, Asif Iqbal โTanhaโค (granted bail in 2021), Shadab Ahmed, Tasleem Ahmed,โ Saleem Malik, Mohd. Saleem โKhan, Athar Khan, Safoora Zargar (granted bail on humanitarian grounds), and โฃFaizan Khan. Devangana Kalita andโ Natasha Narwal were also grantedโ bail previously.
Theโข specific cases before the Supreme Court are:
- UMAR KHALID โฃv. STATE OF NCT โฃOF DELHI | SLP(Crl)โ No. 14165/2025
- GULFISHA FATIMA v STATE (GOVT. โOF NCT OF โขDELHI ) | SLP(Crl) No. 13988/2025
- SHARJEEL IMAM v THE STATE โขNCTโข OFโ DELHI |โ SLP(Crl) No. 14030/2025
- MEERAN HAIDER v. THE STATE NCT OF DELHI | SLP(Crl) No. 14132/2025
- SHIFA UR REHMAN v STATE OF NATIONALโ CAPITAL TERRITORY | SLP(Crl) No.14859/2025
The September 22 hearing will determine whether the accused will remain in custody pending trial or be grantedโค provisional release.