New Delhi

Delhi riots larger conspiracy case accused Sharjeel Imam has moved a second bail application before the Karkardooma Court, citing prolonged incarceration and the lack of progress in trial proceedings. His earlier plea for bail had been dismissed by the Supreme Court on January 5, 2026.

The fresh application argues that there have been no significant developments in the case even after six months of the Supreme Court's order and notes that Imam has remained in custody for nearly six years.

In a related development, another application seeking regular bail has also been filed on behalf of co-accused Umar Khalid.

Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Sameer Bajpai on Friday issued notice to the Delhi Police, seeking its response to Sharjeel Imam's latest bail plea. Earlier, on June 9, the court had issued notice on Umar Khalid's bail application.

Both matters have now been listed for hearing on July 4.

The plea filed on behalf of Imam states that the second bail application has been necessitated by "significant subsequent developments" following the Supreme Court's judgment of January 5, 2026.

It further contends that despite more than six months having elapsed since that verdict, there has been no meaningful advancement in the proceedings, with arguments on the framing of charges still incomplete.

Advocate Ahmad Ibrahim, appearing for Imam, submitted that the case has not progressed even to the stage of framing charges.

"As at the date of filing of this application, the matter before this trial Court has not progressed even to the stage of framing of a charge. Arguments on the charge have not yet been concluded," the plea states.

The application also referred to observations made by the Supreme Court in the Gulfisha Fatima case, where the defence had pointed out that the matter remained at the stage of arguments on charge and there was "no proximate progression to trial in the conventional sense." According to the plea, that position remains unchanged even after six months.

The bail application further cited the Supreme Court's decision in the Syed Iftikhar Andrabi vs National Investigation Agency case, claiming that it recognised a departure from the principles laid down by the three-judge bench ruling in K.A. Najeeb concerning bail under stringent anti-terror provisions.

It also highlighted that the same Supreme Court bench that delivered the judgment in the Gulfisha Fatima matter subsequently granted interim bail to co-accused Tasleem Ahmed on May 22, 2026, in the same larger conspiracy case. The bench had simultaneously referred the broader legal question relating to bail under Section 43D(5) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) to a larger bench to be constituted by the Chief Justice of India.

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The Delhi riots larger conspiracy case relates to allegations of a broader plot behind the communal violence that took place in northeast Delhi in February 2020. Several activists and accused persons have challenged their prolonged detention while awaiting trial.