'Have nothing to say': Families say hopes dashed

The families of Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam on Monday said that their hopes had been dashed after the Supreme Court denied the two bail in the alleged larger conspiracy case linked to the 2020 Delhi riots, saying that they had not received justice.

- Jignasa Sinha and Gargi Shukla

Walking out of the court after the judgment, Umar's father, SQR Ilyas, told HT, "I have nothing to say now. It's unfortunate. The judgment is here and I have no comments now."

The court cited Khalid and Imam's "central and formative roles" conspiracy while denying them bail. At the same time, it granted bail to five co-accused, Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa-ur-Rehman, Mohd Saleem Khan and Shadab Ahmed, taking into consideration the subsidiary nature of the allegations against them.

After the judgment, Khalid told his partner Banojyotsna Lahiri he was "really happy" and "relieved" for those who got bail, she said in a post on X.

"This is my life now," he also told her.

"I was hoping for justice. But the judgment ... this is injustice against my son," his mother Sabiha Khanam told HT. "He isn't allowed a conditional bail also. And, there's no evidence against him."

Sharjeel's mother, his family said, was not talking to anyone.

I'm really happy for the others, who got bail! So relieved,' Umar said [to me] BANOJYOTSNA LAHIRI, Umar Khalid's partner