Citizens Urge India's Top Judge on Activists' Liberty Amid Prolonged Detention

A group of over 100 concerned citizens, including writers, academics, filmmakers, activists, and public figures, has sent an open letter to India's Chief Justice. They are urging his intervention to address the prolonged detention of activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, who have been incarcerated for almost six years.

The activists are accused in a broader conspiracy case linked to the 2020 North-East Delhi riots. The signatories expressed deep concern over the invocation of special laws like the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), suggesting it is used to keep individuals detained for extended periods without trial.

Key Facts

• More than 100 concerned citizens, including writers, academics, filmmakers, activists, and public figures, signed an open letter to the Chief Justice of India.
• The letter urges the Chief Justice to intervene in the continued incarceration of activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam.
• Khalid and Imam are accused in a conspiracy case related to the 2020 North-East Delhi riots.
• They have been in custody for nearly six years.
• The signatories invoked the Supreme Court’s 2021 judgment in K.A. Najeeb, which stated that prolonged incarceration can violate the right to a speedy trial.
• The letter highlights that the prosecution in the Delhi riots case has approximately 900 witnesses, compared to 276 in the K.A. Najeeb case.
• The trial in the current case has not yet commenced.
• Bail applications for Khalid and Imam have been repeatedly rejected by various courts, including a Supreme Court bench in January 2026.
• The signatories referenced a May 18, 2026, Supreme Court judgment (Syed Iftikhar Andrabi v. National Investigation Agency) that reportedly criticized a previous ruling for denying bail and preventing further applications.
• The matter has reportedly been referred to a larger bench to consider issues of liberty and national security.
• The letter was sent to the CJI on the eve of India’s 80th Independence Day.

Background

The open letter references the Supreme Court's 2021 ruling in K.A. Najeeb, which established that prolonged detention without a trial completion within a reasonable timeframe can infringe upon an individual's fundamental right to a speedy trial, as guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution. The judgment indicated that stringent bail conditions under UAPA should not permit indefinite detention if a trial is unlikely to conclude soon. The signatories also drew parallels to a recent lecture by the Chief Justice of India in Sweden, where he reportedly discussed the K.A. Najeeb judgment and the Supreme Court's authority to grant bail in cases of protracted incarceration impacting the right to a speedy trial. The Chief Justice was also noted as being part of the bench that delivered the K.A. Najeeb ruling.