The Delhi High Court on Friday sought clarification from the Delhi Police regarding activist Umar Khalid’s bail plea in an anti-terror case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). This plea pertains to the alleged larger conspiracy behind the riots in north-east Delhi that occurred in February 2020.
A bench of Justices Prathiba M Singh and Vikas Mahajan issued a notice, requiring the city police to respond within two weeks. Khalid’s counsel explained that this marked the activist’s third application for bail since his arrest.
Furthermore, Khalid is also seeking interim bail in this case. The High Court is scheduled to hear his plea on August 27, coinciding with the bail application hearing of co-accused Sharjeel Imam.
Khalid has contested a trial court’s July 4 ruling that denied his bail application. Additional Solicitor General S V Raju, representing the Delhi Police, noted that Imam’s bail plea faced a similar rejection by the same trial court; thus, both cases may be consolidated for review by the bench.
Arrested in September 2020, Khalid faces serious charges under the UAPA as authorities allege he played a pivotal role in orchestrating the February riots, which resulted in the unfortunate deaths of 53 individuals and left over 700 injured.
The violent outbreaks unfolded during widespread protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) of 2019, coupled with concerns over the National Register of Citizens (NRC). Prominent activists, including Sharjeel Imam, Khalid Saifi, and former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain, are among those implicated in the ongoing investigation by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police.
The trial court’s decision to reject Khalid’s bail request centered on the necessity to comply with the Supreme Court’s directives from a January 5 order. Thus, it indicated that it could neither entertain the plea nor offer any relief.
On September 2, 2025, a High Court division bench also denied Khalid bail while the Supreme Court endorsed this verdict on January 5. However, it did allow bail for co-accused individuals, including Gulfisha Fatima and Meeran Haider.
A different bench, comprising Justices Aravind Kumar and N V Anjaria, previously mentioned that a prima facie case against both Khalid and Imam exists under the UAPA law, asserting that not all accused should be viewed equally, given the varying degrees of involvement in the alleged conspiracy.
