A Delhi court on Saturday dismissed the fresh bail applications filed by Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the Delhi riots conspiracy case.
Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Sameer Bajpai passed the order.The Court observed that it was bound by the Supreme Court's earlier order of January 2026 rejecting Khalid's and Imam's bail pleas earlier this year.
"Importantly, this Court has no option but to follow the judgment dated 05.01.2026, as passed by the Hon'ble Supreme Court, whereby the petitions of both the applicants were dismissed," noted the Court.It further clarified that the Supreme Court's order had laid down specific conditions governing when they could seek bail again, leaving the trial court with no scope to entertain the present applications.
"In the said judgment, the Hon'ble Supreme Court, while dismissing the pleas of the applicants opined that only on the completion of the examination of the protected witnesses as relied upon by the prosecution, or upon the expiry of a period of one year from the date of said order, whichever is earlier, the applicants would be at liberty to renew their prayer for grant of bail before the jurisdictional Court. Thus, following the said order of the Hon'ble Supreme Court, this Court cannot entertain the applications and grant bail to the applicants," explained the Court.
Dismissing the pleas, the Court concluded,"Infact the applications are not maintainable and they are hereby dismissed."Imam and Khalid moved the sessions court for bail after a Supreme Court bench recently questioned the denial of bail to the duo in January 2026 by another bench of apex court.
Their application highlighted that despite the passage of more than 6 months since the Supreme Court’s judgment denying them bail, there has been no meaningful progress in the trial proceedings, with arguments on charge still remaining incomplete.They argued that they have been in jail for nearly 6 years in the case.
Khalid's plea also argued that even as his earlier application was rejected by the apex court, subsequent judicial developments constituted a "change in circumstances."He referred to the court's remarks in May in another case when it asserted that "bail is the rule" even under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
The fresh pleas were filed after the Supreme Court on January 5 refused them bail in the UAPA case.In his application, Imam said there had been no "significant development" in the proceedings even six months after the Supreme Court judgment denied him bail and that he has been in custody for nearly six years without trial.
The plea said charges were yet to be framed in the case despite prolonged incarceration of the two activists.Khalid also cited prolonged incarceration and delay in trial, submitting that he has spent nearly six years in custody without charges being framed.
On January 5, the Supreme Court refused bail to Khalid and Imam in the larger conspiracy case while granting relief to co-accused Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa Ur Rehman, Mohammad Saleem Khan, and Shadab Ahmad.
A bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and N V Anjaria then observed that there was a prima facie case against Khalid and Imam under the UAPA and held that all accused could not be treated equally in view of the "hierarchy of participation."Khalid, Imam and several others were booked under the anti-terror UAPA and provisions of the IPC for allegedly being part of a larger conspiracy behind the February 2020 riots in northeast Delhi.
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