NEW DELHI: Family members of jailed student activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam expressed disappointment and anguish after the Supreme Court declined to grant them bail in the 2020 Delhi riots case, observing that the two stood on a “qualitatively different footing” from five other accused who were granted relief on Monday.Khalid’s family said the verdict came as yet another blow after nearly five years of incarceration without trial. His father, Syed Qasim Rasool Ilyas, said the family felt a “deep sense of injustice” at the decision, claiming there was no material to support the allegations levelled against his son.

“This is a very unfortunate decision. There is no evidence that shows that my son has made any anti-national speech or committed any anti-national act. In fact, when the riots happened, my son was not even in Delhi,” Ilyas said.Speaking to TOI, he described the order as emotionally draining for the family. “This is a very difficult time for us. He has already spent so many years in jail without trial, and now he will have to wait for another one year before we can appeal for bail again. Again, the entire process will have to be followed, taking more time. We only want to say that hamare bacche ke saath nainsaafi hui hai (injustice has been done with our child). We know our son — he is innocent,” he said.Meanwhile, quoting Khalid in a social media post, his partner Banojyotsna Lahiri wrote on X he was happy for those who secured bail. “I am really happy for the others, who got bail! So relieved,” Khalid told her, she said. “Ab yahi zindagi hai (Now my life is here),” he added.Similar disappointment was echoed by Sharjeel Imam’s family. His brother, Muzammil Imam, questioned the court’s reasoning in singling out Khalid and Imam while granting bail to five other accused. “Of the seven accused, only two have been denied bail on conspiracy charges. How is it possible to say that only these two are conspirators?” he asked.Calling the distinction untenable, Muzammil said his brother had already spent six years in custody without trial. “They have been in jail for years. I was hopeful that Sharjeel would be released today. This judgment is extremely disappointing for us,” he said.However, the families said they felt relief that the five other accused in the case were granted bail. “We are relieved that the five others have been granted bail. At least some families will get their children back,” they said.The five accused granted bail are Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa-ur-Rehman, Mohd Saleem Khan and Shadab Ahmed. The court said they were entitled to bail, subject to stringent conditions, considering the limited and ancillary nature of the allegations against them.