By Admin 
Activist Umar Khalid, seeking bail in the UAPA case related to the February 2020 riots in Delhi, told the Supreme Court on Friday (October 31, 2025) that there is no evidence linking him to the violence and the allegations of conspiracy leveled against him are false.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Umar Khalid, told the bench of Justice Arvind Kumar and Justice NV Anjaria that there has been no recovery of money, weapons or any physical evidence linking him to the 2020 Delhi riots.
He said, ‘There are 751 FIRs, I have been accused in one, and if it is a conspiracy, then it is a bit surprising!’ Kapil Sibal said, ‘If I (Umar Khalid) had planned the riots, then I was not in Delhi on the dates when the riots took place. I have not yet found any money, weapons or physical evidence linking me to violence.
He said that the statement of any witness does not actually link the petitioner to any act of violence. Kapil Sibal argued that Khalid is entitled to bail on the basis of equality. He said that his fellow activists Natasha Narwal, Devangana Kalita and Asif Iqbal Tanha had got bail in June 2021.
He said that while refusing to grant bail, the Delhi High Court had termed Umar Khalid’s speech in Amravati on February 17, 2020 as inflammatory. Kapil Sibal said, ‘It is available on YouTube. It was a public speech, in which I (Khalid) talked about Gandhian principles. Meanwhile, senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, on behalf of Gulfisha Fatima, argued that she has been in jail for five years and five months since April 2020.
Abhishek Manu Singhvi said that the main chargesheet was filed on September 16, 2020, but the prosecution has made it an annual trend to file supplementary chargesheet every year. He said there has been inordinate delay in considering Fatima’s bail plea, which has been listed more than 90 times since 2020.
Senior advocate Siddharth Dave, on behalf of Sharjeel Imam, said that it took three years for the police to complete their investigation. He said, ‘I (Sharjeel) had given these speeches about two months before the riots.’ Dave said that there is no direct or close connection to show that Sharjeel instigated the violence.
The hearing remained inconclusive and will continue on November 3. Delhi Police on Thursday opposed the bail pleas of the accused, saying that they conspired to attack the sovereignty and integrity of the country by carrying out a regime change campaign under the guise of peaceful protest.
Khalid, Sharjeel, Gulfisha Fatima and Meeran Haider were booked under provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the then Indian Penal Code for allegedly being key conspirators in the February 2020 riots. 53 people were killed and more than 700 were injured in these riots. This violence took place during protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).