New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday rejected the bail pleas of activist Umar Khalid and former JNU student Sharjeel Imam in the case concerning the alleged larger conspiracy behind the February 2020 Northeast Delhi riots.
A Division Bench of Justices Prathiba M. Singh and Dinesh Bhatt dismissed their appeals against the July 4 order of the trial court, which had rejected their regular bail applications. The court said it was bound by the Supreme Court’s earlier directions concerning the two accused.
The Supreme Court had in January 2026 rejected Khalid and Imam’s bail pleas while allowing them to renew their applications after the examination of protected witnesses or after one year from the date of the order, whichever came earlier. The High Court held that it could not modify those conditions.
Khalid had previously been denied bail by the Delhi High Court in October 2022 and September 2025, with the Supreme Court upholding those orders. The case is registered under FIR 59/2020 and includes charges under the UAPA and other laws.
The February 2020 Northeast Delhi violence left 53 people dead and more than 700 injured, according to court records and reports.
