New Delhi: A Delhi Court on Tuesday denied interim bail to Umar Khalid in relation to the UAPA case alleging larger conspiracy in commission of 2020 North East Delhi riots. The court said that grounds raised are “unreasonable”.
Khalid had sought release for 15 days to attend his mother’s surgery and rituals following the death of his uncle. dditional Sessions Judge Sameer Bajpai of Karkardooma Courts said that just because Umar Khalid and other accused have been granted interim bail earlier and have never flouted conditions, it doesn’t mean that on every occasion whenever, accused seeks bail, the same should be granted.
The judge observed that attending the Chehlum ceremony of his uncle is not that necessary and that if the relation was so immediate and thick, he would have asked the release at the time of death and not after such a long time.
While on the mother’s surgery, the court said that “the surgery is very simple, just for removal of lumps and there seems to be no actual requirement or help from the side of the applicant. Accordingly, finding the reasons unreasonable, the Court doesn’t deem it appropriate to grant the desired relief to the applicant”.
The prosecution also included that Khalid has other sisters who can attend to the mother and that the father can also take care of her. The Delhi police has completely opposed Khalid’s interim bail plea on the ground of maintaining public order and administration considering the sensitivity and wider ramifications of the case.
Why Umar Khalid was arrested?
Umar Khalid is a former Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student leader and activist. He was arrested by the Delhi Police on September 13, 2020, under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for his alleged role as a “principal architect” in a premeditated conspiracy behind the February 2020 protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act or CAA and the National Register of Citizens or NRC and Northeast Delhi communal riots, which led to 53 deaths and 700 injured.
The prosecution contends that Khalid orchestrated widespread road blockades (chakka-jams) and delivered provocative speeches such as a notable address in Amravati, Maharashtra—to deliberately instigate public unrest and time the violence to coincide with then US President Donald Trump’s state visit to defame the Indian government globally.
Khalid is booked under various sections of the IPC including murder, sedition, and criminal conspiracy, he remains incarcerated in Tihar Jail without trial, as the exceptionally high legal thresholds for bail under UAPA Section 43D(5) have led to repeated rejections of his pleas by the sessions court, Delhi High Court, and the Supreme Court.
(Curated by: Faiza Nazar)