India’s Supreme Court denies bail to former student leader Umar Khalid, detained for over five years on charges linked to Delhi riots.
NEW DELHI: India’s Supreme Court has denied bail to former student leader Umar Khalid, who has been detained for more than five years.
The 38-year-old was arrested in September 2020 under a sweeping anti-terrorism law for alleged conspiracy related to deadly sectarian riots.
The court dismissed his appeal, stating that “prolonged incarceration” was not sufficient grounds for release.
It denied bail on the same grounds to another student activist, Sharjeel Imam, but approved bail for five others in the same case.
Khalid, a former student at Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University, faces charges including rioting with a deadly weapon, attempted murder, sedition and causing enmity between groups.
He denies all charges, which police say relate to “provocative speeches” ahead of the 2020 Delhi riots that killed 53 people.
His case has become a symbol for critics who allege India’s Muslim minority faces discriminatory treatment.
In a 2022 open letter, Khalid wrote that “we can be kept in jail for years, without those framing us needing to prove anything”.
His partner, Banojyotsna Lahiri, said Khalid “became the victim of the injustice that he always fought against”.
Rights groups including Amnesty International have called for his release, stating his “prolonged persecution exemplifies the derailment of justice in India”.
Khalid’s arrest followed mass protests against India’s Citizenship Amendment Act, a 2019 law criticised for excluding Muslims.
