India, Sept. 23 -- The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice to the Delhi Police 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.

A bench of justices Aravind Kumar and NV Anjaria sought their responses by October 7, after the petitioners' lawyers pointed out that they hope to be out before Diwali this year after almost five years of pre-trial incarceration.

At the outset, Justice Kumar apologised for not being able to take up the matter last Friday (September 19). He explained that the case could not proceed since the puisne judge of the bench, Justice Manmohan, had opted to recuse himself, citing his earli...