NEW DELHI: The Delhi high court on Wednesday refused to grant bail to activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in a case under the anti-terror law UAPA concerning the alleged “larger conspiracy” behind the February 2020 riots in north-east Delhi.A bench of Justices Prathiba M Singh and Dinesh Bhatt dismissed the third bail plea filed by Khalid and Imam, news agency PTI reported.Asserting that it was bound by “judicial discipline”, the bench said it could not modify the Supreme Court’s January 5 order directing the two accused to seek bail either after the examination of protected witnesses was completed or after the expiry of one year, whichever was earlier.“We would be modifying this (Supreme Court) order if we allow bail, which we cannot do,” the bench remarked.Khalid and Imam had challenged the trial court’s July 4 decision rejecting their bail pleas for the third time since their arrest, PTI reported.The trial court had rejected their applications, saying it had “no option but to follow” the Supreme Court’s January 5 order and therefore could neither entertain the pleas nor grant any relief.The high court noted that while denying bail to the two accused in January, the Supreme Court had said their roles were distinct from those of the other co-accused and described them as the “ideological drivers” of the alleged conspiracy.“In view of the above discussion and the overall facts of the case, specifically the conditions imposed upon the appellants, this court cannot find fault with the decision of the trial court. Accordingly, the appeals are dismissed,” the court concluded.Senior counsel appearing for Khalid argued that he had spent six years in custody and was entitled to bail in view of a subsequent Supreme Court order granting relief to other co-accused, PTI reported.He also submitted that around 10 months had passed since the January 5 order and that the trial court had yet to frame charges.Imam’s counsel similarly argued that he had been in custody for six years and was entitled to bail considering the delay in the conclusion of the trial.Additional solicitor general SV Raju opposed the pleas on behalf of Delhi Police, asserting that the two were the “masterminds” of the riots and that the Supreme Court had already set a timeline for consideration of any fresh bail pleas by them.During the hearing, the court also suggested listing the cases for consideration after the second week of January. Counsel for the accused, however, requested the court to decide the matter at this stage itself.Khalid and Imam have been booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) on allegations of being among the masterminds of the February 2020 riots that left 53 people dead and more than 700 injured, PTI reported.The violence erupted during protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), 2019, and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).Activist Khalid Saifi and former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain, among others, were also booked for their alleged involvement in the larger conspiracy case, which was investigated by the Delhi Police Special Cell.Imam was arrested in the case on August 25, 2020, while Khalid was arrested on September 13, 2020.On September 2, 2025, a high court division bench had denied bail to Khalid and Imam.On January 5, the Supreme Court upheld the verdict but granted relief to co-accused Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa Ur Rehman, Mohammad Saleem Khan and Shadab Ahmad.A bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and NV Anjaria had then observed that there was a prima facie case against Khalid and Imam under the UAPA.On May 22, the Supreme Court granted six months’ interim bail to co-accused Abdul Khalid Saifi and Tasleem Ahmad, as it referred the issue of prolonged incarceration of undertrials under the UAPA, due to stringent prerequisites for granting bail, to a larger bench.(With agency inputs)
