Mr. Khalid has been booked under UAPA on allegations of being one of the ‘masterminds’ in the 2020 riots that left 53 people dead and more than 700 injured.
| Photo Credit: file photo
The Delhi High Court on Friday asked Delhi Police to respond to a plea by activist Umar Khalid seeking bail in a case related to the “larger conspiracy” behind the February 2020 north-east Delhi riots.
A Bench of Justice Prathiba M. Singh and Justice Vikas Mahajan asked the police to file their response within two weeks.
Mr. Khalid said it was his third bail application since his arrest in September 2020 and that he was seeking interim bail in the case based on similar relief given to the other co-accused by the Supreme Court.
The Bench said it will hear the plea on August 27 when the bail plea of co-accused Sharjeel Imam is also listed.
Mr. Khalid has challenged a trial court’s July 4 decision dismissing his bail application.
Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju, appearing for Delhi Police, said the same trial court order had also rejected Mr. Imam’s bail plea, and both cases could be taken up together by the Bench.
Arrested in September 2020, Mr. Khalid has been booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) on allegations of being one of the “masterminds” behind the riots that left 53 people dead and more than 700 injured.
Activists Sharjeel Imam, Khalid Saifi and former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain, among others, have also been booked for their alleged involvement in the ‘larger conspiracy’ case, which is being investigated by Delhi Police’s Special Cell.
On July 4, the trial court rejected Mr. Khalid’s bail application, saying it had “no option but to follow” the Supreme Court’s January 5 order rejecting his plea for relief and, therefore, could neither entertain the plea nor grant him relief.
Published – August 01, 2026 12:52 am IST
