Umar Khalid moves Delhi HC for interim bail in riots case

Activist and former JNU student leader Umar Khalid has moved the Delhi High Court seeking 15 days’ interim bail from May 22 to June 5 in the 2020 northeast Delhi riots conspiracy case. The plea comes after a trial court rejected his request for temporary release on May 19. Khalid has sought interim bail to attend the Chehlum ceremony of his deceased maternal uncle and to care for his 62-year-old mother, who is scheduled to undergo lump excision surgery on June 2. Filed under Section 21(4) of the National Investigation Agency Act, the petition challenges the Karkardooma court’s May 19 order dismissing his interim bail request as “not reasonable”. Rejecting the plea, Additional Sessions Judge Sameer Bajpai observed that attending the Chehlum ceremony was “not that necessary” and said Khalid’s father and sisters could take care of his mother during the surgery. Khalid has argued before the high court that the trial court wrongly observed that his uncle was not an “immediate relation” and that other family members could care for his mother. The petition described these findings as “incorrect and unsubstantiated”. The matter is likely to be heard on Thursday. According to the petition, Khalid shared a close bond with his late uncle since childhood and could not seek bail immediately after the death because the burial took place the next day, leaving little time for his family and lawyers to obtain instructions from him inside Tihar Jail. The plea further said the Chehlum ceremony marks the culmination of the 40-day mourning period and allows family members to gather for emotional support and closure. Khalid has also sought time to be with his 87-year-old grandmother during the interim release period. On medical grounds, the petition stated that Khalid’s mother, Sabiha Khanam, has been suffering from lumps and cyst formation on her back for the past two years and was advised surgery at Alshifa Multi-Speciality Hospital following an examination on May 7. It added that Khalid’s 71-year-old father is unable to care for his wife alone, while four of his five sisters are married and live away from the family home. Khalid, being the eldest child and only son, wishes to assist his mother before and after the surgery, the petition said. Khalid further argued that the investigation in the case has been completed and there is no risk of tampering with evidence or fleeing from justice. Proceedings in the case are currently at the stage of arguments on charge. The petition was filed through advocates Sanya Kumar, Sahil Ghai, Chiranjeev Singh Marwaha and S. Abinaya. Opposing the request for interim bail, Special Public Prosecutor Anirudh Mishra argued that Khalid was attempting to misuse the leniency previously shown by the court and said the surgery was a minor procedure requiring local anaesthesia. The prosecution also contended that other family members could perform the religious rituals and care for Khalid’s mother. Khalid has been in custody since September 2020 in connection with FIR 59/2020. The prosecution alleges that the northeast Delhi riots were part of a pre-planned conspiracy linked to protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), allegations Khalid has denied. Khalid had previously been granted interim bail on three occasions — in 2022, 2024 and 2025 — to attend family weddings, and had complied with all bail conditions and surrendered on time each time.