Umar Khalid’s bail plea in northeast Delhi riots ‘larger conspiracy’ case dismissed

While opposing Umar Khalid’s argument for parity with bailed accused, the prosecutor had said ‘people on bail are stalling the trial so that people in custody can take benefits of delay’.

Umar Khalid is a former student of JNU (Express File Photo0

A Delhi court on Tuesday rejected the bail plea of former JNU student leader Umar Khalid, an accused in the “larger conspiracy” case related to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots.

Khalid, who was booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, informed the court of Additional Sessions Judge Sameer Bajpai earlier that other accused facing graver allegations had already been out on bail and that people allegedly involved in similar activities had not even been named as the accused by the Delhi police.

Special Public Prosecutor Amit Prasad, however, had argued that the judgments granting bail to three accused people—Asif Iqbal Tanha, Devangana Kalita and Natasha Narwal—cannot be relied on as precedent and that every other accused cannot be entitled to parity.

“People on bail are stalling the trial so that people in custody can take benefits of delay,” he added.

Also Read | Umar Khalid’s jail stint and the deficit of truth

Khalid’s advocate, Trideep Pais, had also argued that not a single statement by witnesses relied on by the prosecution attracted a terrorism charge against him. “The accused has not committed any terrorist act… There is not a single seizure from him,” he said.

Prasad, however, argued that Khalid had amplified his narrative as part of a conspiracy, citing his different chats with people with a social media following. He also said that all the events (or instances) in the “conspiracy” must be read together and not in isolation.

“…The name of the accused appeared from the beginning till the culmination of the conspiracy,” Prasad said, adding that Khalid’s involvement was part of a “pre-made plan”.

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Prasad also alleged that links to different news outlets were shared to “expose the Delhi Police” and that Khalid had requested several “actors” to “amplify” the links. Certain hashtags were shared with many influential people, who were asked to retweet them, according to the prosecutor.

He had also argued that Khalid’s WhatsApp chats also revealed that he had a habit of creating social media narratives to influence bail hearings.

Nirbhay Thakur

Nirbhay Thakur is a Senior Correspondent with The Indian Express who primarily covers district courts in Delhi and has reported on the trials of many high-profile cases since 2023. Professional Background Education: Nirbhay is an economics graduate from Delhi University. Beats: His reporting spans the trial courts, and he occasionally interviews ambassadors and has a keen interest in doing data stories. Specializations: He has a specific interest in data stories related to courts. Core Strength: Nirbhay is known for tracking long-running legal sagas and providing meticulous updates on high-profile criminal trials. Recent notable articles In 2025, he has written long form articles and two investigations. Along with breaking many court stories, he has also done various exclusive stories. 1) A long form on Surender Koli, accused in the Nithari serial killings of 2006. He was acquitted after spending 2 decades in jail. was a branded man. Deemed the “cannibal" who allegedly lured children to his employer’s house in Noida, murdered them, and “ate their flesh” – his actions cited were cited as evidence of human depravity at its worst. However, the SC acquitted him finding various lapses in the investigation. The Indian Express spoke to his lawyers and traced the 2 decades journey. 2) For decades, the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has been at the forefront of the Government’s national rankings, placed at No. 2 over the past two years alone. It has also been the crucible of campus activism, its protests often spilling into national debates, its student leaders going on to become the faces and voices of political parties of all hues and thoughts. The Indian Express looked at all court cases spanning over two decades and did an investigation. 3) Investigation on the 700 Delhi riots cases. The Indian Express found that in 17 of 93 acquittals (which amounted to 85% of the decided cases) in Delhi riots cases, courts red-flag ‘fabricated’ evidence and pulled up the police. Signature Style Nirbhay’s writing is characterized by its procedural depth. He excels at summarizing 400-page chargesheets and complex court orders into digestible news for the general public. X (Twitter): @Nirbhaya99 ... Read More

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