Umar Khalid's attempt to reopen the Supreme Court's January 5 denial of bail in the 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case has suffered a legal setback, with the court dismissing his review petition.
A bench of justices Aravind Kumar and NV Anjaria rejected Khalid's plea for an open-court hearing, stating that they do not find any good ground and reason to review the judgment dated January 5, 2026.
Khalid has been in custody since September 13, 2020, while co-accused Sharjeel Imam has been incarcerated since January 28, 2020. The court had denied bail to both, holding that the material on record disclosed a prima facie case against them, attributing to them a 'central and formative role' in the alleged conspiracy.
The Supreme Court ruled that prolonged incarceration alone cannot justify release in cases governed by the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), where courts must first assess the gravity of the allegations and whether the statutory threshold for bail has been crossed.
