2020 Delhi Riots: Supreme Court to pronounce decision on Bail Pleas of Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam and Others on Jan 5

The Supreme Court will on Monday, January 5, 2026 pronounce its decision on the bail petitions filed by Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider and several others booked under the UAPA in the Delhi riots larger conspiracy case.

A bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and N. V. Anjaria had reserved its verdict on the bail pleas filed by the accused on December 10.

After extensive arguments spread across multiple hearings, the Bench noted that both sides had relied on a large volume of material, including authorities, written submissions, synopses, charts, and detailed timelines. For the sake of convenience, the Bench ordered that every document referred to during the hearings must now be collated and filed as a single, comprehensive compilation. The direction applies equally to the prosecution and the accused.

ASG Raju had strongly opposed the bail requests, asserting that the violence that rocked Northeast Delhi was not a peaceful protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act but part of a “well-planned conspiracy” to spark unrest and destabilise the government. On November 20, Raju had argued that the narrative of Imam and others being “educated scholars” unfairly targeted by the state was misleading, and that those who intellectually guide violence are “far more dangerous” than ground-level actors.

Opposing the bail pleas, Solicitor General Mehta had launched a sharp attack on what he described as “myths” surrounding the riots. “This was not a spontaneous riot. It was a well-designed, well-crafted, well-orchestrated, pre-planned and well-choreographed riot,” he told the Bench, adding that the violence amounted to “an attack on the sovereignty of the nation.”

Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal on behalf of Umar Khalid, argued that at the current pace, Khalid would remain in prison for “eight years without trial”, noting that the prosecution alternates between predicting six months and two years for the trial’s completion. He emphasized repeated supplementary chargesheets and delay not attributable to the defence.

Senior Advocate Dr. Abhishek Manu Singhvi for Gulfisha Fatima questioned the Delhi Police’s assertion that the riots were part of a coordinated “regime change operation,” pointing out that “not a word of it appears in the chargesheet.”

All the five UAPA Accused have filed a Special Leave petition (SLP) before the Apex Court challenging the Delhi High Court's September 2, order denying bail to them. The High Court had held “violence in the name of protest is not free speech” as it dismissed the bail pleas of Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, and seven others.

A Division Bench of Justice Navin Chawla and Justice Shalinder Kaur, in a detailed 133-page verdict, had said, “Any conspiratorial violence under the garb of protests or demonstrations by the citizens cannot be permitted. Such actions must be regulated and checked by the State Machinery, as they do not fall within the ambit of the Freedom of Speech, Expression, and Association.” Court had held that the role of Sharjeel Imam and Umar Khalid is prima facie grave in the entire conspiracy, noting that they had delivered inflammatory speeches on communal lines to instigate a mass mobilization of members of the Muslim community.

The case stems from the violence that erupted in Northeast Delhi in 2020 during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). The clashes between supporters and opponents of the Act led to large-scale incidents of stone-pelting, arson, and violence, leaving 53 people dead and injuring thousands.

Delhi Police’s Special Cell had registered FIR 59 of 2020, naming several individuals including Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, Tahir Hussain, Khalid Saifi, Ishrat Jahan, Meeran Haider, Gulfisha Fatima, and Shifa-ur-Rehman. The accused have been charged under stringent provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) as well as sections of the Indian Penal Code relating to criminal conspiracy, promoting enmity, rioting, and murder.

Case Title: Gulfisha Fatima v. State of NCT of Delhi and connected matters

Bench: Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice NV Anjaria