Today, On 8th January, Sharjeel Imam told a Delhi court that the Delhi Police’s claim of Umar Khalid being his mentor or guide is completely baseless. He said they had minimal interaction at JNU and insisted he had never spoken to Umar Khalid.
Activist Sharjeel Imam informed a Delhi court that the Delhi Police’s claims regarding Umar Khalid being his mentor and guide are entirely unfounded, asserting that the two had minimal interaction during their time at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).
During the proceedings, Advocate Talib Mustafa represented Imam before Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Sameer Bajpai at Karkardooma Courts.
He emphasized that there is no connection between his client and Khalid.
He stated,
“In my five years at JNU, I never spoke to Umar Khalid. I don’t know what coordination they [Police] are talking about. To establish a conspiracy, it is necessary to show the agreement between us. But they have failed to show any agreement,”
The advocate insisted that the allegation suggesting Khalid instructed Imam is also incorrect.
He said,
“There is only one meeting in which Umar and I are seen together. But even the witness statement from that meeting shows that there was no discussion of violence,”
Mustafa was presenting arguments in the case related to the Delhi riots conspiracy, which is currently under consideration for the framing of charges.
The Delhi Police has accused Imam, Khalid, and several others of being involved in terrorist activities and conspiring to incite violence during the 2020 Delhi riots. The prosecution has invoked the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) in this matter.
Today, Mustafa noted that there were extensive protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in 2020, and while many accused participated in these demonstrations, that does not imply there was a conspiracy.
He further argued that Imam never supported violent protests.
He said,
“My chats, my pamphlets and my speeches… Their case is that I wanted violence, that I wanted the riots and the killing of people. But there is not discussion of any violence in any of my meetings. In fact, I have talked about non-violence,”
Mustafa concluded his arguments in the case, with other defendants expected to begin their arguments next week.
Earlier, On 5th January, The Supreme Court granted bail to five accused in the Delhi riots conspiracy case while rejecting the pleas of Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, stressing that “The court has consciously avoided a collective or unified approach.”
Earlier, On September 2, 2025, the Delhi High Court had also denied bail to nine accused, including Khalid and Imam, prompting them to appeal to the Supreme Court.
The High Court remarked that their roles in the conspiracy appeared grave, involving inflammatory speeches intended to incite mass mobilization among the Muslim community.
Khalid, Imam, and others were arrested in January 2020 under stringent provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) related to the February riots, which resulted in 53 deaths and over 700 injuries during protests against the proposed Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
Previously, The Delhi Police firmly opposed the release of student activists Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, and three others charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in connection with the 2020 Northeast Delhi riots conspiracy case.
In a statement to the Supreme Court, the police contended that the alleged offenses represented a deliberate attempt to undermine the state, thus justifying “jail and not bail,” as reported by media outlets on Thursday.
The police argued that the petitioners were attempting to portray themselves as victims due to prolonged imprisonment, even though the delay in the trial was a result of their own actions.
In a detailed 177-page affidavit submitted on October 30, the Delhi Police argued that the violence that erupted in February 2020 was not merely a spontaneous reaction to protests against theCitizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), but rather a part of a coordinated “regime change operation” disguised as civil dissent, according to a report in the media.
The police indicated that encrypted chats and messages show the protests were strategically timed to coincide with Trump’s visit in February 2020, ensuring global attention.
Earlier, The Delhi alleged that they were the “masterminds” behind the large-scale violence that broke out in northeast Delhi in February 2020.
Khalid’s bail pleas have been repeatedly rejected. The trial court denied his request in March 2022, and the Delhi High Court refused his appeals in October 2022 and again on September 2, 2024.