'Happy For Others, Jail Is My Life Now': Umar Khalid After Supreme Court Denies Bail In Delhi Riots Case

The Supreme Court has denied bail to activist Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the 2020 northeast Delhi riots “larger conspiracy” case, citing a prima facie case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. 

Jailed activist Umar Khalid has expressed relief and happiness for his co-accused who secured bail in the Delhi riots “larger conspiracy” case, while responding with resignation to the Supreme Court’s decision to deny him bail, his partner Banojyotsna Lahiri has said.

Sharing details of a conversation with Khalid after the court’s order, Lahiri wrote on X that he appeared reconciled to his continued incarceration. “Umar said, ‘I am really happy for the others who got bail! So relieved,” she posted.

She added that when she told him she would visit him in jail on Tuesday, Khalid responded, “Good, good, aa jana. Ab yahi zindagi hai (Do come. This is my life now).”

On January 5, the Supreme Court declined to grant bail to Khalid and fellow accused Sharjeel Imam in connection with the 2020 northeast Delhi riots case, observing that there was a prima facie case against them under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). At the same time, the court granted bail to five other accused --- Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa Ur Rehman, Mohd Saleem Khan, and Shadab Ahmad.

The February 2020 violence in northeast Delhi left 53 people dead and more than 700 injured. Police have alleged that Khalid and others were part of a conspiracy behind the riots, a charge they have consistently denied. Although the trial has yet to begin, Khalid, a former Jawaharlal Nehru University student, has spent nearly five years in jail as an undertrial.

In its ruling, the Supreme Court said that a delay in the commencement of the trial could not be treated as a “trump card” for granting bail. All seven accused were charged under the stringent UAPA, along with provisions of the Indian Penal Code, for allegedly being the “masterminds” of the riots.

Reacting to the verdict, Khalid’s father, Syed Qasim Rasool Ilyas, expressed deep disappointment. “It is very unfortunate. The judgment is there, and I have nothing to say about it,” he said.