The Delhi High Court has granted interim bail to activist and former Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student leader Umar Khalid in the 2020 northeast Delhi riots larger conspiracy case, allowing him temporary release from June 1 to June 3 to attend to his mother’s medical treatment.
The relief comes after Khalid approached the high court challenging a trial court order that had rejected his request for temporary bail earlier this month. Umar Khalid had sought 15 days of interim bail between May 22 and June 5, citing personal and family circumstances, including the Chehlum ceremony of his late maternal uncle and the medical needs of his mother, who is scheduled to undergo surgery on June 2.
According to his plea, Khalid’s 62-year-old mother, Sabiha Khanam, has been suffering from lumps and cyst formation on her back for nearly two years and was recently advised to undergo a lump excision surgery. Khalid told the court that he wished to care for his mother before and after the procedure, arguing that his 71-year-old father would struggle to manage her care alone.
In his petition, the former student leader said he was the eldest child and only son in the family and therefore wished to support his parents during the period of treatment. He had also sought permission to attend the mourning rituals of his maternal uncle, stating that he shared a close relationship with him and wanted to spend time with his 87-year-old grandmother during the Chehlum period.
Challenging the lower court’s refusal to grant relief, Umar Khalid argued that the trial court’s observations, including its finding that his maternal uncle was not an “immediate relation” and that other relatives could care for his mother, were “incorrect and unsubstantiated”.
Khalid further informed the court that he had previously been granted interim bail in 2022, 2024 and 2025 for family-related reasons and had complied with all bail conditions on each occasion. The trial court had rejected his plea on May 19, holding that the grounds cited for interim release were “not reasonable”. The prosecution opposed the request, arguing that the proposed surgery was a minor medical procedure and maintaining that other family members were available to assist.
Umar Khalid has remained in judicial custody since September 2020 in the larger conspiracy case linked to the northeast Delhi riots. Investigating agencies have alleged that the violence was part of a premeditated conspiracy connected to protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), a charge Khalid has consistently denied.
