What happened

The Delhi High Court issued notice to Sharjeel Imam’s appeal against a trial court order that rejected his second regular bail plea in the larger conspiracy case linked to the 2020 north-east Delhi riots. A Bench of Justices Prathiba M. Singh and Vikas Mahajan posted the matter for hearing on 27 August 2026.

Sharjeel Imam was arrested in August 2020 and booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. He is accused in the alleged conspiracy behind the riots, which killed 53 people and injured more than 700.

Background and earlier position

The trial court said it was bound by the Supreme Court’s 5 January 2026 order, which required renewed bail requests only after protected witnesses were examined or after one year, whichever came earlier. The prosecution argued that there was no substantial change in circumstances.

The prosecution also said that Umar Khalid’s review petition had already been dismissed. The bail dispute therefore sits within a broader pattern of repeated litigation in the larger conspiracy case.

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