Delhi court has granted seven days interim bail from December 28 to January 3 to Umar Khalid, a former student leader from Jawaharlal Nehru University, to attend his cousin’s wedding. The court imposed conditions on his bail, including restrictions on contacting witnesses and using social media during this period.
The Delhi High Court is presently reviewing the regular bail applications of former JNU student Umar Khalid and activist Sharjeel Imam in a UAPA case concerning the alleged larger conspiracy behind the communal riots in Delhi in February 2020. The Delhi Police Special Cell arrested Khalid on September 14, 2020, under the UAPA for his alleged involvement in the case.
Earlier, while rejecting his bail plea, the trial court stated: “The High Court analyzed the case against the applicant and concluded that the allegations against the applicant are prima facie true, and that the embargo created by Section 43D(5) of UAPA squarely applies against the applicant. Hence, the applicant does not deserve bail. It is clear that the Hon’ble High Court has meticulously considered the applicant’s role and declined the relief sought by him,” the special judge observed in the order passed on May 28, 2024.
The court further noted that since the High Court had already dismissed the applicant’s criminal appeal on October 18, 2022, and the applicant subsequently withdrew his petition before the Supreme Court, the order of this court dated March 24, 2022, has attained finality. Therefore, the court cannot reassess the facts of the case or grant the relief requested by the applicant.
The trial court was addressing the second regular bail application filed on behalf of Umar Khalid, who is accused in the UAPA case related to the larger conspiracy behind the 2020 Delhi riots. Khalid, arrested in September 2020, has been in custody since then. He sought regular bail under Section 437 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, read with Section 43D(5) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.
Umar Khalid, along with others, is accused of planning the riots that took place in northeast Delhi from February 23 to February 25, 2020. He faces serious charges under various laws, including the Indian Penal Code, the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, the Arms Act, and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The police claim that Khalid and his co-accused intended to cause these riots as part of a larger conspiracy.
