Overview
- Khalid filed the review petition on Monday and asked for a public hearing, with the bench led by Justice Aravind Kumar saying it would examine the request.
- The Supreme Court’s January 5 order denied bail to Khalid and Sharjeel Imam under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act after finding a prima facie case and describing their roles as central to the alleged conspiracy.
- The same order granted conditional bail to five co‑accused — Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa‑ur‑Rehman, Mohammad Saleem Khan and Shadab Ahmed — based on a different assessment of their roles.
- The court also barred Khalid and Imam from renewing bail until protected witnesses are examined or one year passes from January 5, reflecting UAPA’s strict Section 43D(5) standard that makes bail rare where accusations appear prima facie true.
- Review petitions are normally decided by judges in chambers without oral arguments, so an open‑court hearing would allow both sides to argue in public; Khalid has been in custody since September 13, 2020 in the case linked to the 2020 Delhi riots that left 53 dead.