The Supreme Court, on Monday, dismissed the review petition filed by activist Umar Khalid seeking a review of an earlier verdict denying him bail. Khalid has been in prison without bail since 2020 for his alleged involvement in the 2020 Delhi riots case.
The court observed that there are reasonable grounds to believe the allegations levelled against him in connection with a conspiracy behind the 2020 Delhi riots.
On January 5, the apex court had refused to grant bail to Khalid and fellow activist Sharjeel Imam but granted it to five others.
“Having gone through the review petition and also the documents enclosed, we do not find any good ground and reason to review the judgment dated January 05.01.2026. Accordingly, the review petition is dismissed,” the apex court bench of of Justices Aravind Kumar and N.V. Anjaria said, reported Bar and Bench.
According to the Supreme Court's rules, review petitions are considered by judges who delivered a judgment or passed an order in chambers to remedy an apparent error or a resultant grave injustice that was a consequence of a decision of the apex court. Parties seeking a review can request judges for an open-court hearing to rectify the grave injustice caused due to the decision under review, according to news agency PTI.
The February 2020 riots in northeast Delhi broke out during protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC), leaving 53 people dead and more than 700 injured.
Khalid, who was arrested in September 2020, has been charged with criminal conspiracy, rioting, and unlawful assembly, apart from several other offences under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
The Delhi Police had arrested a total of 18 people in the conspiracy case. Of them, 11 have been granted bail so far.
