Activist and former JNU student leader Umar Khalid has moved the Delhi High Court seeking interim bail for 15 days from May 22 to June 5 and setting aside the trial court order dated May 19, which rejected his plea for temporary release in the 2020 northeast Delhi riots larger conspiracy case.

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Grounds for Interim Bail

The appeal, filed under Section 21(4) of the National Investigation Agency Act, states that Khalid seeks interim bail to attend the Chehlum ceremony of his deceased maternal uncle and to take care of his 62-year-old mother, who is scheduled to undergo lump excision surgery on June 2. The matter is slated to be heard tomorrow before the High Court.

In the appeal, Khalid has challenged the findings of the trial court, which had observed that his uncle was not an "immediate relation" and that his mother could be cared for by other family members. The plea argues that these findings are "incorrect and unsubstantiated" and contrary to the material on record.

Khalid has contended that he shared a "special bonding" with his late uncle since childhood and could not seek bail at the time of the death because the uncle passed away on a Friday evening and was buried the next day, leaving insufficient time for his lawyers and family to obtain instructions from him inside Tihar Jail.

The appeal further states that the Chehlum ceremony marks the culmination of a 40-day mourning period and allows the grieving family to gather for emotional support and closure. Khalid has also stated that he wishes to spend time with his 87-year-old grandmother during the period of interim release.

On medical grounds, the appeal states that Khalid's mother, Sabiha Khanam, has been suffering from lumps and cyst formation on her back for the last two years and was advised surgery at Alshifa Multi-Speciality Hospital after examination on May 7.

According to the plea, Khalid's father is 71 years old and unable to single-handedly care for his wife, while four of Khalid's five sisters are married and reside away from the parental home. The appeal stresses that Khalid is the eldest child and the only son in the family and therefore seeks to assist his mother before and after the surgery.

The appeal also highlights that Khalid has previously been granted interim bail on three occasions -- in 2022, 2024 and 2025 -- to attend family weddings, and that he complied with all bail conditions and surrendered on time each time. The plea further states that the investigation against Khalid has already been completed and that there is no risk of tampering with evidence or fleeing from justice. It also notes that the proceedings in the case are presently at the stage of arguments on the charge. The appeal has been filed through advocates Sanya Kumar, Sahil Ghai, Chiranjeev Singh Marwaha and S. Abinaya.

Trial Court Order and Prosecution's Opposition

The trial court had dismissed Khalid's interim bail plea on May 19, observing that the grounds cited by him for temporary release were "not reasonable". Additional Sessions Judge Sameer Bajpai of the Karkardooma Courts had held that attending the Chehlum ceremony of his uncle was "not that necessary" and also observed that Khalid's sisters and father could take care of his mother during the surgery.

The prosecution had opposed the plea through Special Public Prosecutor Anirudh Mishra, arguing that Khalid was attempting to misuse the leniency earlier shown by the court and that the surgery was a minor procedure requiring only local anaesthesia. The State had also argued that other family members could perform the religious rituals and care for Khalid's mother.

Khalid has been in custody since September 2020 in the larger conspiracy case arising out of FIR 59/2020. The prosecution alleges that the 2020 northeast Delhi riots were part of a pre-planned conspiracy linked to protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), allegations which Khalid has denied. (ANI)