Delhi riots case hearing LIVE: SC to shortly hear bail pleas of Sharjeel Imam, Umar Khalid and others

The Supreme Court on Friday (September 19, 2025) will hear the bail pleas of activist Sharjeel Imam, former Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) scholar Umar Khalid, and others in the larger conspiracy case linked to the 2020 Delhi riots.

A Bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and Manmohan will hear the petitions, which challenge the September 2 verdict of the Delhi High Court denying bail. A Division Bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Shalinder Kaur had held that the accused played “prima facie grave” roles in the conspiracy.

Also read: Umar Khalid | Activist behind bars

Besides Mr. Imam and Mr. Khalid, the High Court had denied bail to activists Gulfisha Fatima, Khalid Saifi, Athar Khan, Mohd. Saleem Khan, Shifa-ur-Rehman, Meeran Haider, and Shadab Ahmed, accepting the prosecution’s contention that the riots were not “a regular protest” but a “premeditated, well-orchestrated conspiracy.” Separately, the bail plea of another accused, Tasleem Ahmed, was rejected by a different High Court Bench on September 2.

Ms. Fatima, Mr. Haider and Mr. Rehman have also filed appeals before the apex court.