Supreme Court Rejects Umar Khalid Review Plea, Upholds Bail Denial in Delhi Riots Conspiracy Case

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has rejected the review plea of student activist Umar Khalid, accused in the 2020 Delhi riots case, against the January 5 judgement that denied him bail.   

"Having gone through the review petition and also the documents enclosed, we do not find any good ground and reason to review the judgment dated January 1, 2026. Accordingly, the review petition is dismissed," said Justices Aravind Kumar and NV Anjaria. 

It also declined the request of Khalid to hear the review petition in open court. "Prayer for oral hearing in the review petition is rejected," the order passed on April 16 stated. 

Khalid had sought from the Supreme Court a review of a judgement that denied him bail and urged that the review petition be listed in open court. On January 5, the apex court denied bail to Khalid and Sharjeel Imam while observing that there were reasonable grounds to believe the allegations levelled against them in connection with the conspiracy behind the 2020 north-east Delhi riots. 

They had challenged the Delhi High Court order, which denied them bail in the UAPA case linked to the alleged larger conspiracy behind the riots. 

The apex court had refused bail to Khalid and Imam, but granted it to five others, saying all the accused do not stand on the same footing. It had been said that Khalid and Imam, who have been in jail since 2020, can file fresh bail pleas after the examination of protected witnesses or after a year from the day the order was passed. 

The top court had said that there was a prima facie case against Khalid and Imam under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), and noted that prosecution material suggests that they were involved in the "planning, mobilisation and strategic direction" of the riots. 

Khalid was arrested on September 13, 2020, on charges of delivering provocative speeches on February 24 and 25 when Donald Trump, in his first term as the president of the United States, visited India. The February 2020 riots in north-east Delhi had erupted during the protests against the then-proposed Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) and had left 53 people dead and over 700 injured. 

The Delhi Police had arrested a total of 18 people in the conspiracy case, and of them, 11 have been granted bail so far.