India, Sept. 19 -- The Supreme Court on Friday adjourned for the second time in a row the hearing on the bail pleas of student activist Sharjeel Imam, former Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) scholar Umar Khalid, and three others accused in the 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case, after Justice Manmohan recused himself.

When the matter was taken up by a bench of justices Aravind Kumar and Manomhan, the briefing counsel appearing on behalf of Kapil Sibal informed the bench that Sibal was leading the arguments in the case. To be sure, Sibal does not appear before Justice Manmohan, who had begun his legal career as a junior in Sibal's chamber. Soon thereafter, the court adjourned the hearing to September 22.

However, it remains unclear whethe...