A new development has taken place in Umar Khalid’s effort to get bail in the Delhi riots conspiracy case. The Supreme Court has listed his review petition against its January 5 order for hearing on Wednesday, April 15.

In January, a bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and Justice NV Anjaria, had rejected the bail pleas of Umar Khalid and co-accused Sharjeel Imam. The court held that the material on record showed a prima facie case against them under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.

Background of the Case:

The case arises from the 2020 Northeast Delhi riots , which took place during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

On September 2, 2025, the Delhi High Court refused to grant bail to Umar Khalid and others. The Court said that “violence in the name of protest is not free speech.”

After this, the accused approached the Supreme Court by filing Special Leave Petitions.

The Supreme Court reserved its judgment on December 10, 2025, and later delivered its decision on January 5, 2026.

Supreme Court’s January Ruling:

In its January ruling, the Bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and NV Anjaria refused to grant bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, observing that the material on record revealed a prima facie case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.

The judgment stated that the accused had played a “central and formative role” in the alleged conspiracy. It said the conspiracy involved planning, mobilisation, and strategic direction, going beyond isolated or local acts.

However, the Court granted bail to some other co-accused, including Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa Ur Rehman, Mohd. Saleem Khan, and Shadab Ahmed. This showed that the Court considered the individual roles of each accused separately in the larger case.

Bail Restriction Order:

The order also placed a procedural restriction. Both Khalid and Imam were barred from filing fresh bail pleas until either the examination of protected witnesses is completed or one year has elapsed from the date of the decision.

On 13th April 2026, Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Khalid, mentioned the review petition before the Supreme Court. He informed the Bench that :

“I wanted to make a mention… it is listed on Wednesday. My request is, if your Lordships could consider hearing it in open court,”

In response , Justice Kumar said :

"We will look into the paper, and if required, we will call it."

Case details : UMAR KHALID v STATE OF NCT Delhi (Review Petition /2026)