India Supreme Court Dismisses Umar Khalid Bail Review

The Supreme Court of India on April 16 dismissed a review petition filed by student activist Umar Khalid challenging its earlier denial of bail in the alleged larger conspiracy case linked to the 2020 Delhi riots, ruling that no valid grounds existed to revisit the January 5 decision.

A bench comprising Justices Aravind Kumar and N.V. Anjaria examined the petition and accompanying documents in chambers, as is standard for such reviews, which address apparent errors or grave injustices. "Having gone through the review petition and also the documents enclosed, we do not find any good ground and reason to review the judgment dated January 5, 2026. Accordingly, the review petition is dismissed," the bench stated in its order, which was released on Monday. The court also rejected Khalid's request for an open-court hearing, a rare step typically reserved for exceptional circumstances.

The original January ruling had denied bail to Khalid and fellow activist Sharjeel Imam while granting it to five co-accused: Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa ur Rehman, Mohammad Saleem Khan, and Shadab Ahmad. The court emphasized that the accused did not stand on equal footing, citing a hierarchy...