New Delhi: The Delhi high court on Wednesday (September 30) denied bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the 2020 Northeast Delhi riots larger conspiracy case.A bench comprising of Justice Prathiba M. Singh and Justice Dinesh Bhatt passed the order saying that it cannot modify the Supreme Court ruling in Gulfisha Fatima case as conditions were imposed on Khalid Imam to seek bail – completion of protected witness’ examination and upon expiry of one year from the date of the order, whichever is earlier, Live Law reported.“This court is bound by judicial discipline,” the bench was quoted as saying.On January 5, 2026, the Supreme Court had denied bail to Khalid and Imam while granting relief to Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider and others.Further, the court noted that in the Gulfisha Fatima judgment, the Supreme Court had held that Khalid and Imam ‘occupy a separate position distinct from the co accused and held them to be ideological drivers of the entire alleged conspiracy’.Also read: Can We Fault Sharjeel Imam and Umar Khalid for Dreaming of a Better World?The high court bench underlined that the appellants had moved fresh bail applications citing three changed circumstances despite the apex court’s directions: that the Supreme Court had reconsidered and questioned the judgment in the Gulfisha Fatima case, that co-accused Tasleem Ahmed and Khalid Saifi had been granted interim bail on the ground of delay in trial alone, and that another six months had passed since the Gulfisha Fatima ruling by the time the new applications were filed.The court observed that Tasleem Ahmed and Khalid Saifi’s roles weren’t the same as Imam and Khalid’s hence parity cannot be sought by them by relying on Supreme Court order granting them interim bail, as per the report.“In view of the above discussion and the overall facts of the case, specifically the conditions imposed qua the appellants in Gulfisha case, this Court cannot find fault with the decision of the trial court. Accordingly, the appeals are dismissed,” the bench was quoted as saying by Live Law.Imam had challenged the rejection of his second regular bail application while Khalid challenged the rejection of his third.Imam and Khalid have both been in custody for over six years without trial in the case.Delhi Police Special Cell arrested Khalid as a ‘key conspirator’ in the 2020 Delhi riots case on September 14, 2020. He is charged with, UAPA, sedition and 18 other sections of the Indian Penal Code, including murder and attempt to murder.Also read: Of Shame, Impunity, Immunity: The Matter of Umar KhalidImam was arrested on January 28, 2020 from Jehanabad, Bihar, over speeches delivered at anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protests, and was formally arrested in the larger conspiracy case in August 2020.On September 22, a Delhi court has granted a seven-day interim bail to Imam for attending his cousin’s wedding.Khalid was lasted granted a three-day interim bail by the Delhi high court on May 22 for meeting his mother who underwent a surgery after a trial court had on May 19 denied him relief that he had sought to attend rituals after the death of his uncle and to attend to his mother before and after a surgery on June 2.Imam and Khalid, both student activists at the time of arrest, played a key role in organising anti-CAA protests in 2019-2020.