The Delhi High Court on Wednesday granted bail to Umar Khalid for seven days. Khalid, a former JNU student has been in custody in an Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) case since September 14, 2020. He has been accused of alleged conspiracy in the 2020 Delhi riots case.
Umar Khalid had applied for a 10-day bail, however, the Delhi High Court only granted him seven days’ bail that too, with conditions. As many as 53 people were killed while more than 700 people were injured during the Delhi riots.
The Delhi Police opposed the bail alleging Khalid of messaging actors and politicians for popularizing his narrative. On May 28, the High Court rejected Khalid’s bail application seeking for regular bail. Again on October 18, 2022, the High court confirmed the allegation being put by the Delhi Police.
What the High Court said
The High Court pointed out that anti-CAA protests, “metamorphosed into violent riots”, which “prima facie seemed to be orchestrated at the conspiratorial meetings” and the statements of witnesses proved Khalid’s active involvement in the riots.
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Senior advocate Trideep Pais, Khalid’s defending lawyer facing Justices Navin Chawlin and Justice Shlinder Kaur, stated that no cases were lodged against the people who attended the riots. Also he highlighted by putting forward a glimpse of the violence on social media which the police called a secret meeting. Pais also pointed out the presence of Swaraj India leader Yogendra Yadav and filmmaker Rahul Roy, yet they were not accused.
The 2020 Delhi riots
The violence took place during the protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC). As many as 53 people were killed while more than 700 people were injured in the riots. A day before the riots, nearly 1,000 people sat at the Jaffarpur Metro Station in protest. The entry and exit points of the Metro station were blocked by the people.
