A Delhi court on Tuesday dismissed the interim bail plea of activist Umar Khalid in the 2020 Delhi riots case, a day after the Supreme Court disagreed with its own decision denying relief to him and co-accused Sharjeel Imam.
On Monday, the Supreme Court said a two-judge bench had violated “judicial discipline” by denying bail to Khalid and Imam earlier this year, despite a three-judge bench ruling in the K.A. Najeeb case underlining that bail should be the rule even
in offences with stringent conditions.
A day later, additional sessions judge Sameer Bajpai refused to grant Khalid 15 days’ interim bail to attend the 40-day post-death ritual (chehlum) of his uncle and to care for his mother, who needs a lump surgery.
Khalid’s uncle passed away last month and the chehlum is scheduled to be observed on May 24. His mother is to undergo the surgery on June 2.
Denying the relief, the judge said: “The court is of the view that attending the chehlum of his uncle is not that necessary. Things would have been different if the ceremony was of a person who was in immediate relation with the applicant (Khalid).”
The court noted that Khalid had not sought any relief immediately after his uncle’s death, underlining a time gap in seeking interim bail.
“If the relationship was so immediate and thick, the applicant would have asked for the release at the time of the death of his uncle, and not now, after such a long time. Therefore, the court does not find this reason to be just,” the court said.
The court was also not convinced of the grounds for seeking interim relief concerning his mother’s surgery. According to Khalid, he has five sisters but they do not live nearby. The court observed that his sisters are definitely expected to come to their mother’s help. “Further, the father of the applicant is also there to take care of the mother of the applicant,” the court said.
Countering Khalid’s bail plea, the prosecution argued that the surgery for lump removal is simple and there is no requirement for the applicant’s help. “Accordingly, finding the reasons unreasonable, the court doesn’t deem it appropriate to grant the desired relief to the applicant. The application is dismissed,” the court said.
Khalid has been out of jail for brief periods thrice. In December 2025, he got bail to attend his sister’s wedding. He was out on bail for a week from December 28, 2024, to January 3, 2025, to attend his cousin’s wedding. In 2022, he was out for a week to attend his elder sister’s wedding.