SC refuses to entertain plea of Delhi riots accused to attend law classes in Ghaziabad

The Supreme Court on Monday (October 26, 2026) refused to allow an accused in the Delhi riots case, who is out on bail, to attend law classes at a university in Ghaziabad.

A Bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and Vipul M. Pancholi refused to modify the bail conditions imposed on accused Shadab Ahmad, which bar him from leaving the national capital during the trial.

Justice Kumar told Mr. Ahmad's counsel: "This we will not modify... We know why you joined that law college, leaving out all the law colleges inside Delhi."

Sensing the mood of the court, the counsel sought permission to withdraw the plea for modification of the bail condition, which the court allowed.

At the outset, the counsel submitted that Mr. Ahmad had applied for admission to the LLB course conducted by Delhi University but did not manage to get enrolled. Subsequently, he managed to get admission at a university in Ghaziabad, the counsel submitted, adding that Mr. Ahmad was on the path of "reformation."

The Bench dismissed the plea as withdrawn, giving liberty to the accused to approach the trial court for the relief.

Mr. Ahmad had filed a miscellaneous application seeking modification of a bail condition which prohibits him from leaving the National Capital Territory without prior permission of the trial court. He also sought modification of the bail condition mandating him to mark his attendance at the Crime Branch police station of the Delhi Police twice a week, on Monday and Thursday.

On January 5, 2026, the top court refused to grant bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, while granting bail to Mr. Ahmad and four others. It had imposed 11 conditions on them and said any misuse of liberty would attract bail cancellation.

All seven accused were booked under the anti-terror Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for allegedly being the "masterminds" of the riots.

The February 2020 riots in northeast Delhi broke out during protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC), leaving 53 people dead and more than 700 injured.

The Delhi Police had arrested 18 people in the conspiracy case. Of them, several accused have got bail so far.