The Supreme Court of India on 5th January 2026 gave its verdict in the much talked-about bail application of Umar Khalid who has been in judicial custody for his role in orchestrating the February 2020 anti-Hindu riots that took place in Delhi during the anti-CAA protests.
- The Supreme Court rejected Umar’s bail application citing his ‘higher role’ in Delhi riots conspiracy.
Umar Khalid’s problematic past
Umar Khalid is purported to be a ‘student activist’ from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in Delhi. Khalid’s father S.Q.R. Ilyas is the former president of Welfare Party of India (WPI)– a political party in India, launched in the year 2011 with the support of radical Islamist organisation Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, the Welfare Party of India was launched with the backing of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind.
Umar’s role in February 2020 Anti-Hindu riots in Delhi
In February 2020, the anti-CAA protests had turned into violent riots where many Hindus including Constable Ratan Lal and IB officer Ankit Sharma were brutally murdered by the rioters.
In September 2021, the Delhi High Court observed that the evidence placed before it confirmed the existence of a pre-planned and pre-meditated conspiracy to disturb law and order in the city.
Umar Khalid has been in judicial custody under FIR 59/2020 (UAPA) in the Delhi Police larger conspiracy case related to the February 2020 Delhi riots.
Pertinently, the Delhi police has filed a 10,000 page long chargesheet against Umar Khalid and fourteen others in this case.
In the chargesheet the timeline of events that unfolded during the Delhi riots have been detailed. The Timeline is as follows:
| Date | Event |
| 22nd-23th February 2020 | Women-led anti-CAA sit-in at Jaffrabad blocked a key road, raising tensions. |
| 24th February 2020 | Riots officially escalated; HC Ratan Lal was killed and senior officers were injured in violent clashes. |
| 25th February 2020 | IB Officer Ankit Sharma was brutally murdered in Chand Bagh; ex-AAP Councillor Tahir Hussain was accused. |
| March-September 2020 | Police filed 757 FIRs, including the UAPA ‘conspiracy’ case; Umar Khalid was arrested in September. |
| 18th October 2022 | Delhi High Court denies Umar Khalid bail, ruling accusations are prima facie true. |
While rejecting an earlier bail application filed by Umar Khalid before trial court, the court had also made observations on the presence of “incriminating material” against Umar Khalid in the Delhi riots.
Investigation by Delhi police and submissions by the state before courts revealed that Umar Khalid was a member of several WhatsApp groups linked to anti-CAA protests and conspiracy.
While rejecting the bail application filed by Umar Khalid, the Delhi High Court in September 2025 observed the prima facie role of Umar Khalid along with other co-accused in conspiring to unleash violence in Delhi in February 2020.
The relevant excerpts from the Delhi High Court Judgement are as follows:
Pertinently, in his bail application before the Supreme Court, Umar’s counsels acknowledged that petitioners made inflammatory speeches while claiming that inflammatory speeches should not be conflated with “terrorist acts” under UAPA.
- The Supreme Court has now rejected their claims and thereby rejected the bail application of Umar Khalid.
INDI Alliance’s support to Umar Khalid
Despite multiple incriminating evidences available against Umar Khalid in the Delhi riots case, and more so, despite his past conduct of supporting terrorists like Afzal Guru and Burhan Wani, Umar has continued to garner support and solidarity from INDI aligned political leaders.
Their support of Umar Khalid exposes their anti-National and anti-Hindu credentials.
| S. No. | Name of the Political Leader | Political Party | Statement of Support |
| 1 | Digvijay Singh | INC | Claimed Umar Khalid to be innocent. |
| 2 | Manoj Jha | RJD | Criticised arrest of Umar Khalid and called it as “death of |
| S. No. | Name of the Political Leader | Political Party | Statement of Support |
| Democracy“ | |||
| 3 | Mehbooba Mufti | PDP | Defended Umar Khalid and said that he did nothing wrong. |
| 4 | Jignesh Mevani | INC | Blamed BJP & RSS for ‘attacking’ Umar Khalid. |
| 5 | Yogendra Yadav | Swaraj India | Expressed shock on arrest of Umar Khalid in 2020. |
| 6 | Prakash Raj | – | Tweeted and asked people to raise their voice against the state and called the state’s action against Umar Khalid a “witch-hunt.” |
| 7 | Dipankar Bhattacharya | CPI-ML | Claimed Umar Khalid as innocent and demanded his release from the jail. |
Pertinently, the case of Umar Khalid has managed to garner attention and support from leaders across borders – including the newly elected mayor of New York City Zohran Mamdani and eight other US lawmakers.
- Such kind of international support garnered by Umar Khalid raises concerns about the possibility of a larger international conspiracy to destabilize the Indian State and interfere in the legitimacy of the justice delivery system in India.
The Supreme Court’s definitive rejection of Umar Khalid’s bail application validates his rightful incarceration for orchestrating the 2020 anti-Hindu Delhi riots.
- The judiciary has confirmed his “higher role” in this premeditated conspiracy, reinforcing his established history of advocating for terrorists like Afzal Guru and Burhan Wani.
- Despite this incriminating evidence, the continued solidarity offered by certain political leaders is alarming.
By standing with a known terror sympathizer, these leaders brazenly expose their own anti-National and anti-Hindu credentials, undermining the nation’s security and justice system.
