2 min readNew DelhiJul 30, 2026 10:59 PM IST
For the third time, student activist Umar Khalid has moved the Delhi High Court, seeking bail in the larger conspiracy case of Northeast Delhi riots in 2020. He has been booked under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
Khalid’s appeal challenging the trial court’s July 4 decision to dismiss his bail application is listed for hearing before a bench of Justices Prathiba Singh and Vikas Mahajan on Friday.
The HC had earlier rejected his bail plea twice – in October 2022 and September 2025. Both times, the Supreme Court had upheld the HC order.
Khalid, arrested in September 2020, was booked under UAPA for being one of the “masterminds” of the riots that had left 53 people dead and more than 700 injured. Besides him, activist Sharjeel Imam, among others, was also booked in the case.
The SC, in its order on January 5, had refused bail to Khalid and Imam, but granted bail to five other co-accused while establishing the “hierarchy of participation”. In this hierarchy, Khalid and Imam were classified to be on a “higher footing” compared to the five others who were granted bail by the SC.
The trial court, while rejecting Khalid’s and Imam’s bail pleas on July 4 had observed that it “has no option but to follow” the January 5 judgment of the Supreme Court, whereby the petitions of both the applicants were dismissed. The SC had also observed no change in their circumstances to allow a fresh plea for bail, the trial court had added.
Khalid, a former JNU student leader, has been booked for offences under the Indian Penal Code, Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, Arms Act and UAPA.
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