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Umar Khalid has been in custody in connection with the 2020 Delhi riots for over five years under the stringent UAPA, a law that makes granting of bail exceptionally difficult
Sharing a modified excerpt from Maya Angelou’s celebrated poem ‘Still I Rise’, Moitra titled her X post ‘You Will Rise, Umar Khalid’. File pic/PTI
Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra on Wednesday took to social media to express her support for jailed activist Umar Khalid, after the Supreme Court of India denied his bail application. Sharing a modified excerpt from Maya Angelou’s celebrated poem “Still I Rise”, Moitra titled her post “You Will Rise, Umar Khalid”, a move that has reignited the political debate surrounding the 2020 Delhi riots.
The Supreme Court’s decision on Monday brought a mixed conclusion to a long-awaited legal battle. While a bench comprising Justices Aravind Kumar and NV Anjaria granted bail to five other co-accused—including Gulfisha Fatima and Meeran Haider—it refused relief to Khalid and Sharjeel Imam. The court reasoned that Khalid and Imam occupied a “qualitatively different footing” in the alleged “larger conspiracy” behind the riots. The judges observed that the material presented by the prosecution prima facie indicated a central, formative role in planning and strategic mobilisation that went beyond localised acts of protest.
Umar Khalid has been in custody for over five years under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), a law that makes the granting of bail exceptionally difficult. Following the verdict, Khalid’s partner, Banojyotsna Lahiri, shared his poignant reaction, quoting him as saying, “Ab yahi zindagi hai” (this is life now), though he expressed relief for those who were released.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) responded to the support for Khalid and Imam and subsequent campus protests with sharp criticism. National spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala labelled the support system for Khalid an “anti-India urban naxal gang”, accusing the Congress, the Left, and their “ecosystem” of prioritising vote-bank politics over national security.
I saw some people criticizing honble Supreme Court for denying bails to persons working to break INDIA by cutting off chicken neck & separate North-East from the motherland.These anti-Indian elements need to be shown the spirit of our beautiful Constitution. https://t.co/7UcI4hUbl4
— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) January 7, 2026
In a similar vein, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis remarked that the “offspring of Sharjeel Imam” were born at JNU, asserting that the government would crush any “wicked intentions” aimed at breaking the country.
January 07, 2026, 18:44 IST
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