Delhi Riots: SC denies bail to Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday refused bail to activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case but granted it to five others, citing "hierarchy of participation" and putting the two on a “qualitatively different footing”.

Khalid and Imam, who have been incarcerated since 2020, were involved in the "planning, mobilisation and strategic direction" of the riots, a bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and N V Anjaria said.

While the jail doors shut tighter for the two, activists Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa Ur Rehman, Mohd Saleem Khan and Shadab Ahmad got bail from the apex court.

Khalid and Imam can file fresh bail applications after the examination of protected witnesses or after one year from today, the court said in a ruling keenly awaited by the accused, the families of the victims in the riots, rights activists and others.