2020 Delhi riots: HC seeks police stand on Sharjeel Imam’s fresh bail plea

3 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Jul 17, 2026 11:59 AM IST

Sharjeel Imam is seeking bail on the grounds of delay in trial and prolonged incarceration for over six-and-a-half years. (Source: File)

The Delhi High Court Friday sought the Delhi Police stand on student activist Sharjeel Imam’s fresh bail plea in the ‘larger conspiracy’ case linked to the 2020 Northeast Delhi riots.

On July 4, a trial court had rejected Sharjeel’s second bail application in the case, underlining that it had “no option but to follow” the Supreme Court order dated January 5.

Why did the SC deny them bail

The SC, in its order on January 5, had refused bail to activist Umar Khalid and Sharjeel, while granting bail to five other co-accused in the case.

It had held that all accused could not be treated equally in view of the “hierarchy of participation”. In this hierarchy, Umar and Sharjeel were classified to be on a “higher footing” compared to the five others who were granted bail.

The SC’s January order had also observed that only on the completion of the examination of protected witnesses or upon expiry of one year from the date of said order, whichever is earlier, Sharjeel and Umar would be at liberty to renew their prayer for grant of bail.

Charges have not yet been framed by the trial court. According to the prosecution, the trial court has heard arguments on framing of charge from the accused for “more than 200 days”.

What Sharjeel argued today

On Friday, Sharjeel, through his counsel, told the HC bench of Justices Prathiba Singh and Vikas Mahajan that there have been subsequent developments since SC’s order.

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His counsel pointed to a Supreme Court judgment delivered in May, in which the court expressed “serious reservations” about various aspects of the January ruling that had denied him bail. The bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan had made these observations while granting bail to a resident of Jammu and Kashmir, Syed Ifthikar Andrabi, in custody since 2020. Andrabi faces charges under the UAPA in a narco-terror case investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

Sharjeel is also seeking bail on the grounds of delay in trial and prolonged incarceration for over six-and-a-half years. The trial has remained stagnant even seven months after the Supreme Court rejected his bail plea. Sharjeel’s counsel argued that “stagnation of trial too entitles him to bail.”

The court issued notice to the Delhi Police, seeking their response by the next date of hearing on August 27.

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Sohini Ghosh is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express. Previously based in Ahmedabad covering Gujarat, she recently moved to the New Delhi bureau, where she primarily covers legal developments at the Delhi High Court

Professional Profile

Background: An alumna of the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), she previously worked with ET NOW before joining The Indian Express.

Core Beats: Her reporting is currently centered on the Delhi High Court, with a focus on high-profile constitutional disputes, disputes over intellectual property, criminal and civil cases, issues of human rights and regulatory law (especially in the areas of technology and healthcare).

Earlier Specialty: In Gujarat, she was known for her rigorous coverage in the beats of crime, law and policy, and social justice issues, including the 2002 riot cases, 2008 serial bomb blast case, 2016 flogging of Dalits in Una, among others.

She has extensively covered health in the state, including being part of the team that revealed the segregation of wards at the state’s largest government hospital on lines of faith in April 2020.

With Ahmedabad being a UNESCO heritage city, she has widely covered urban development and heritage issues, including the redevelopment of the Sabarmati Ashram

Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025)

Her recent reporting from the Delhi High Court covers major political, constitutional, corporate, and public-interest legal battles:

High-Profile Case Coverage

She has extensively covered the various legal battles - including for compensation under the aegis of North East Delhi Riots Claims Commission - pertaining to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, as well as 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

She has also led coverage at the intersection of technology and governance, and its impact on the citizenry, from, and beyond courtrooms — such as the government’s stakeholder consultations for framing AI-Deepfake policy.

Signature Style

Sohini is recognized for her sustained reporting from courtrooms and beyond. She specialises in breaking down dense legal arguments to make legalese accessible for readers. Her transition from Gujarat to Delhi has seen her expand her coverage on regulatory, corporate and intellectual property law, while maintaining a strong commitment to human rights and lacuna in the criminal justice system.

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