Delhi Police Oppose Bail for Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam in High Court

Delhi Police have opposed fresh bail pleas filed by Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the larger 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case, informing the Delhi High Court in New Delhi that both accused were masterminds of the violence and that no change in circumstances has occurred since the Supreme Court denied them relief under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

Submitting separate affidavits before the high court, the police stated that the fresh bail proceedings are misconceived and run contrary to binding directions issued by the Supreme Court in January.

The police referenced the apex court's January ruling in the Gulfisha Fatima case, which refused bail to both Khalid and Imam while granting relief to five co-accused. In that ruling, the Supreme Court observed that all individuals booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act could not be treated alike and that individual roles must be evaluated based on the hierarchy of participation in the alleged conspiracy.

According to the prosecution, the accused sought to argue a change in circumstances by relying on a subsequent Supreme Court verdict delivered in the Syed Iftikhar Andrabi case. However, the police contended that the cited judgment is entirely unrelated to the Delhi riots conspiracy case and cannot serve as a valid basis for seeking bail.

In their affidavits, the police argued that the present proceedings are improper because both appellants were key figures in orchestrating the 2020 communal unrest and the legal grounds for their detention remain unaltered.

The Delhi High Court had sought the police's formal response last month after Khalid moved his third bail plea. The court previously indicated that it would hear Khalid's petition alongside a pending bail application submitted by Imam.