After a setback earlier this week, Omar Khalid has approached the Delhi High Court seeking interim bail in the 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case. The move comes after the Delhi court rejected his interim bail application.
Khaled applied for temporary bail for 15 days to attend the 40th day (shilom) ceremony of his deceased uncle and visit his mother who is scheduled to undergo surgery.
HT had earlier reported that Tuesday’s order was passed by Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ), Sameer Bajpai of Karkardooma Courts.
The court rejected Khaled’s request, saying that the reasons for release on bail were “unreasonable.”
Hearing the matter, Justice Bajpai stated that while Khalid had been granted interim bail on previous occasions, each application for bail and its reason was different and could not be approved every time.
Regarding his mother’s health and the surgery performed on her, the court noted that it appeared to be a simple procedure and that Khaled’s five sisters and father were there to take care of her.
“The surgery is very simple, i.e. to remove the lumps only, and there appears to be no actual requirement or assistance on the part of the applicant. Accordingly, the court finds the reasons unreasonable and the court does not consider it appropriate to grant the requested relief to the applicant.”
The last time Khaled was released on bail was in December 2025 to attend his sister’s wedding.
The former JNU student, along with activist Sharjeel Imam, is among 20 people booked by the Delhi Police Special Cell under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for allegedly organizing the 2020 Delhi riots.
Read also | The Supreme Court criticizes its January ruling denying bail to Omar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam
Earlier this year, the Supreme Court denied bail to Khalid and Imam, stating that Omar played a “central and formative” role in the alleged plot. On April 20, the Supreme Court also dismissed his review petition, challenging the January ruling.
However, a bench of Justices B V Nagaratna and Ujjal Bhuiyan criticized the January ruling.
“Even under UAPA, bail is the rule and imprisonment is the exception. Bail can only be denied in a particular case depending on the facts of that particular case,” the bench added.
The council also added that restricting the bail application for Khaled and the Imam to one year was a “complete derogation of the right to freedom guaranteed under the Constitution.”
