The Delhi Police on November 21 told the Supreme Court that Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam allegedly played central roles in “communal mobilisation” ahead of the 2020 Delhi riots, claiming they used WhatsApp networks and student groups to coordinate protests and disrupt the “secular fabric” of university campuses. According to the police, the accused operated through multiple groups DPSG (Delhi Protest Support Group), MSJ (Muslim Students of JNU), JCC (Jamia Coordination Committee) and SOJ to mobilise students from JNU and Jamia and plan chakka jams and dharnas before the violence.
These submissions came as the Delhi Police opposed the bail pleas of seven accused persons, including Khalid and Imam, in the UAPA case tied to the riots. The police maintained that the anti-CAA protests were merely a red herring, alleging a larger conspiracy aimed at “regime change and economic strangulation in the country.”
The Supreme Court was informed that the trial of all accused is likely to take two more years, with the matter now listed for continued hearing on November 24.
2020 Delhi Riots | The Delhi police has informed the Supreme Court that the trial of several accused persons, including Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, booked under the Prevention of Unlawful Activities Act (UAPA) in the 2020 Delhi riots case would likely be completed in two…
— ANI (@ANI) November 21, 2025
During arguments, the Delhi Police asserted that “intellectuals involved in terrorism are more dangerous than those operating on the ground,” while drawing parallels with the recent Red Fort blast, where highly educated individuals including doctors were allegedly involved. ASG SV Raju cited this as an example of how seemingly respectable individuals could be key actors in extremist plots.
Senior Advocate Siddharth Dave, appearing for Sharjeel Imam, countered these claims, arguing that the prosecution was relying on short, selectively edited clips of speeches that originally lasted three hours. He said such edits were intended to create prejudice against the accused.
A bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and NV Anjaria heard part of the submissions and adjourned the case to the next afternoon for further arguments.
(with inputs from ANI)
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