Umar Khalid's Jail Stay Continues As Delhi Riots Case Hearing Adjourned To January, Citing Kapil Sibal's Unavailability

The Supreme Court on Wednesday (29 November) postponed the hearing on activist Umar Khalid's bail plea related to the Delhi Riots conspiracy case due to the unavailability of legal representation on both sides.

Justices Bela M Trivedi and Satish Chandra Sharma adjourned the proceedings after Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Khalid, and Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, representing the Delhi Police, were not present.

The Bench suggested rescheduling the hearing for the following week. However, as Sibal was set to argue before a Constitution Bench, the Court decided to defer the matter to January, Bar and Bench reported.

Umar Khalid has appealed to the top court challenging a Delhi High Court judgment from October 2022 that denied him bail. He was arrested by the Delhi Police in September 2020, facing charges of criminal conspiracy, rioting, unlawful assembly, and offenses under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Khalid has been in custody since his arrest.

In March 2022, a Karkardooma court rejected his bail application. Subsequently, Khalid approached the High Court, which also denied relief, leading to the current appeal before the Supreme Court.

The apex court had issued notice to the Delhi Police on the bail plea in May of the current year. In July, the Bench handling the matter had indicated that the hearing would conclude within two minutes.

In August, Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra recused himself from the case. The matter was then adjourned to be listed on a non-miscellaneous day, specifically Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Thursdays, known for accommodating lengthy hearings.