New Delhi, Jan. 6 -- The Supreme Court on Friday denied bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the alleged larger conspiracy behind the 2020 Delhi riots, but ordered the release of five other co-accused, holding that continued incarceration of the latter was not indispensable to the conduct of a fair trial at the present stage.

The bench of justices Aravind Kumar and NV Anjaria said that, considering the roles attributed to the five accused, the nature of the material relied upon by the prosecution, and the stage of the proceedings, their liberty could be secured through strict safeguards. The court underlined that the grant of bail neither diluted the gravity of the allegations nor amounted to any determination of guilt, but reflected...