The Supreme Court on Friday (September 12, 2025) adjourned to September 19 the hearing on the bail pleas of activist Sharjeel Imam and former JNU scholar Umar Khalid in the Delhi riots conspiracy case. The matter, which also concerns several other accused, has drawn national attention as it involves questions of civil rights, protest, and prolonged incarceration.
The petitions before the Supreme Court challenge the September 2 Delhi High Court verdict that dismissed bail applications of nine accused. The Division Bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Shalinder Kaur held that the roles of the accused, including Imam and Khalid, appeared “prima facie grave.” The High Court emphasized that the case did not stem from “a regular protest” but from what it viewed as “a premeditated, well-orchestrated conspiracy.”
Along with Imam and Khalid, the High Court had denied bail to activists Gulfisha Fatima, Khalid Saifi, Athar Khan, Mohd. Saleem Khan, Shifa-ur-Rehman, Meeran Haider, and Shadab Ahmed. All of them remain in custody as undertrials since 2020.
Lawyers for Imam and Khalid argue that the trial has suffered inordinate delays. They point out that several co-accused have already secured bail on grounds of parity. According to the defense, prolonged imprisonment without conclusion of the trial amounts to punishment before conviction.
The prosecution, however, maintains that the accused played key roles in the alleged conspiracy that led to the 2020 riots in Delhi, which left 53 people dead and hundreds injured. It contends that releasing them on bail could influence witnesses and disrupt the judicial process.
The Supreme Court will now hear the bail pleas of Sharjeel Imam and Umar Khalid on September 19. The outcome is expected to set an important precedent in how courts balance the right to protest with allegations of criminal conspiracy.
